Thirty Minutes
by Tori of Lorien
Summary: Sequel to Sixty Seconds. They thought it was over. They couldn't have been more wrong. When a madman escapes from prison, it's a fight for survival. And time is running out.
1. Chapter 1

**Thirty Minutes**

**Summary**: Sequel to Sixty Seconds. They thought it was over. They couldn't have been more wrong. When a madman escapes from prison, it's a fight for survival. And time is running out.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hi, everyone! Wow, I'm thrilled with the response that Sixty Seconds got! I'm glad you all enjoyed it, and I hope you like this one just as much! I'm excited for it, and I know you guys are, so here's chapter one!

_Chapter 1_

Phil Brooks pushed open the front door of the house with a couple plastic bags filled with a few things they would need for the trip that lay ahead of them. He had been grateful for the time he had to be at home to recover after the ordeal that had happened over a year ago, for it had also given him time to be a part of the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to him. He just couldn't believe the time that had gone by. It only felt like yesterday that he and some of his friends had been trapped inside the bombed hotel...

But he quickly brushed those dark thoughts aside. Shane McMahon, who had been the one behind the bombing, was sitting in prison, and he and the rest of the Smackdown and ECW stars who had made it through were going to return to the WWE ring the next night. Phil smiled with excitement. It was going to be an amazing feeling, but what made it even more special for him was he was going to have his wonderful wife and beautiful daughter there to support him.

Phil carried the bags into the living room, smiling when he saw that Maria had fallen asleep stretched out on the couch. She had been exhausted lately since their eight-month-old daughter had been wakeful during the night. He lightly brushed some of her red hair out of her face, hoping not to wake her, glad that she was able to catch up on a little much needed rest.

"Da!"

At the sound of the excited voice, Phil turned to the playpen set up in the middle of the room, smiling broadly when he saw the small girl trying to pull herself up into a sitting position. "Hey, Lexie," he said, setting the bags down and walking over to the playpen. He leaned on the side as he watched her, laughing when he saw the huge smile that formed on her face at seeing him. "How's my little girl?"

Lexie mumbled incoherently as she finally sat up by pushing on her big blocks, leaning back against the corner of the playpen. "Da!" she repeated, reaching up toward him.

Phil frowned slightly as he gave her his finger to hold. "Come on, Lex, you're so close," he muttered. "Try again. Say dada. _Dada_."

"Da!"

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" Phil asked suspiciously, arching his eyebrow. "I've got my eye on you, girly." Lexie just laughed, and he smiled as he picked her up into his arms. "We'll work more on that later. I don't care how long it takes as long as you say it first." He and Maria were each trying to get her to say Dada or Mama before the other, and so far, Lexie was coming close to both, almost as if she was teasing them.

Lexie cooed with contentment as she laid her head on Phil's chest for a minute before pushing herself up, placing her tiny hand on his cheek. Then, she grabbed onto his hanging black hair and pulled.

"Ow," Phil muttered as Lexie laughed, gently lowering her hand. "No, Lex, that hurts Dada. Here. Have this." He gave her his finger again so her tiny ones wouldn't go to his hair or his lip ring like they often did. She smiled, squeezing it tightly.

"Not much luck yet, huh, Phil?"

Phil turned around, seeing that Maria was not sitting up on the couch and looking up at them. She smiled, getting to her feet and approaching her husband and child, giving Phil a quick kiss.

"Ma!" Lexie said happily, releasing Phil's finger and grabbing onto Maria's hair.

"Hey, sweetheart," Maria replied, carefully pulling her hand away and kissing her fingers. "But how about you say mama, huh? _Mama_."

Lexie smiled, wrapping her hand around Maria's finger. "Ma!"

Maria sighed, her eyes narrowing when she raised her gaze and saw that Phil was grinning at her. She smacked his arm with her free hand. "She doesn't say your name either," she muttered, taking Lexie from him when the small girl reached out to her.

"I know," Phil told her. "But it's funny how frustrated you get."

His wife smiled as Lexie started laughing. "I swear, it's like she's messing with us," Maria said. "We're always telling her what we want her to say..."

Phil smirked. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that."

Maria looked back at Phil. "Well, she is _your _daughter," she told him with a wink.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Phil wondered.

Shrugging, Maria smiled as she turned and headed toward the kitchen. Phil watched her until she was out of sight, laughing quietly and shaking his head before grabbing the bags and following her.

"So, did you get everything for the week?" Maria asked as Phil set the bags on the table.

"Yeah, we should be set," Phil answered, looking through the extra packs of diapers and other necessities he had bought. "And if not, it's not like we'll be too far away from a store."

"That's true," Maria muttered, glancing down at Lexie as she began to fuss. "Hey, Phil, do I have time to give her a quick lunch before we leave?"

"Sure," Phil replied, grabbing a container of baby food from the cupboard and handing it to her. "You do that, and I'll pack this extra stuff in my bags and get Lexie's diaper bag ready."

"Thanks, honey." Maria quickly kissed Phil before he headed upstairs to pack. She then set Lexie in her highchair and began to feed her.

"Eat up, girl," she told her, smiling when Lexie laughed a little. "Because soon, we're going to see some of Mama and Dada's friends. Just wait until they see how big you've gotten..."

In truth, Maria was looking forward to being on the road again and seeing everyone she used to work with. It would be a great experience for them as a family.

But when Lexie laughed and knocked the spoon out of her hand by accident, Maria smiled and sighed when she realized it was going to be a long trip.

xxx

Adam Copeland sat behind the wheel of his rental car, sunglasses on as he sang along to the song blaring on the radio. Jay Reso sat beside him in the passenger seat, laughing and shaking his head at his best friend.

"Bored, are we?" the former ECW champion asked.

Sighing, Adam turned the radio down and put his sunglasses on top of his head. "Yeah," he answered, leaning back in his seat. "He's been in there for what, almost a half hour?" They had been parked outside of the courthouse for a long time, waiting for one Matt Hardy.

"Patience, Adam," Jay told him in a joking way before he became more serious. "Court stuff takes a while..."

Adam's eyes saddened a bit, knowing that the other man had spent a lot of time in the court system earlier the past year, but he had been fortunate enough to escape a prison sentence from the bombing ordeal. They were both grateful for that.

Then, his eyes lit up when he heard the song change. "Oh, I love this song!" he said, turning it up and putting his sunglasses back on as he started singing.

Jay just smiled and shook his head again as he looked out the window at the courthouse. "At least Matt's getting out of prison a lot earlier than expected," he muttered, mainly to himself. "He had a good lawyer."

"What?" Adam paused, looking at his best friend curiously.

"Never mind."

Adam shrugged, going back to singing as he started to drum the steering wheel.

About five minutes later, Matt came out of the courthouse with a manilla folder in his hands and hurried over to the car, climbing in the backseat. "Sorry about the wait, guys," he muttered, putting his seatbelt on. "I know it took a while..."

"No problem, Man," Jay replied while Adam straightened up in his seat and put his sunglasses back on top of his head. "All clear?"

"Yep!" Matt told him with a broad smile. "It's all done."

"All right!" Jay and Adam both high-fived him. "You're free, Matt."

The older Hardy nodded. "Yeah, it's a great feeling."

Adam smiled as he started the car, happy for his friend. "So, are you going to talk to Vince when we get there about returning to the WWE?" he wondered, driving away from the courthouse.

"Yeah, I was thinking about it," Matt said. "I'll see if he would even consider taking me back after..." His sentence trailed off, and he cleared his throat. "Anyway, I'm thrilled about the show tomorrow night. To see all the people that were involved in that ordeal come back... It's going to be amazing!"

"Yeah, it's going to be good," Jay agreed with a smile. But then, it faded a bit. "There's just one thing I don't like about it."

"What's that?" Matt asked, confused.

Adam sighed, knowing what his best friend meant since they had talked about it while waiting for Matt. "The memories," he answered quietly as he came to a stop at a set of lights. "It's in the same place where it all happened."

xxx

Jeff Hardy shut the rental car off when he found a spot in the parking lot, smiling at the man in the passenger seat next to him. "Thanks for letting me come with you, Man," he said.

"Not a problem," John Hennigan replied, shutting his notebook and sticking his pen in the spiral binding. "Thanks for doing the second half of the driving."

"Well, least I could do since you picked me up," Jeff told him. "I know it was a bit out of the way."

John gave him a small smile. He had unexpectedly picked up the younger Hardy brother after getting a call from him saying that he needed a ride to the show since he wanted to be there for everyone's return. "Not a big deal," he assured him, opening the door and stepping out into the night to get the bags out of the back.

Jeff sighed as he stepped out as well to get his bags from the seat behind him, but then he paused when he saw something off in the distance. "There it is," he muttered, his gaze darkening.

"There's what?" John wondered, looking up at him curiously.

The younger Hardy nodded to something behind him and John turned to look over his shoulder. He sighed heavily when he saw the hill where the casino boat that had served as their hotel had once been, ruins the only thing remaining to remind them of what had happened. It was so far away, yet so close.

He turned back to face his friend, giving him a small smile. "Let's just go check in."

xxx

Phil pulled into the parking lot and found a place to park after what felt like the longest trip of his life. They had stopped many times along the way since Lexie had gotten irritated from being in her car seat for so long, and the sun had completely set by the time he turned the car off. He closed his eyes for a moment, exhausted from the drive, before turning in his seat to look at his family.

"You all right, Ria?" Phil asked, seeing that his wife was rubbing her eyes as she shook a rattle to try to keep their daughter occupied.

"Yeah, just tired," she answered quietly, giving him a smile. "I think Lexie is too, she's starting to fuss. I'll bring her inside to check in if you grab the bags..."

"Okay, sounds good." Phil reached forward and took Maria's hand, kissing it gently. He knew all three of them needed to get a good night's sleep, and once they got that, things would be better.

Then, Phil climbed out of the car while Maria started to take Lexie out of her car seat, stretching out her cramped muscles as he went to the back of the car to get their bags. Maria got out then with their exhausted daughter, who perked up when she saw Phil.

"Da!" Lexie exclaimed, reaching out toward him.

"Never mind, Phil," Maria said, stifling a yawn. "She wants to go with you, probably since she saw me for pretty much the whole trip. You take her, and I'll bring the bags in."

"You sure?" Phil asked as he opened the trunk.

"Well, we have to go with what Lexie wants," Maria answered, looking at their child, who was still reaching for her dad.

Phil smiled as he approached his two beautiful girls and took the eight-month-old. "Hey there, Lex," he said, kissing her forehead. "You're lucky you got to look at Mama in the car. Mama's prettier than me."

This comment made Maria laugh as she quickly kissed her husband. "I'll grab the bags and be in," she told him quietly.

"All right," Phil muttered, kissing her again. "See you soon."

By the time he got into the hotel, Lexie had rested her head on his shoulder, and Phil assumed that she would be asleep shortly as he got behind a couple he recognized to be Drew Galloway and Taryn Terrell in line to check in.

But before he could say hello to them, Lexie perked up a bit at seeing the Scotsman's brown ponytail hanging in front of her, and she got a hold of it and pulled.

"Lexie, no," Phil said, gently pulling her hand away as Drew quickly turned around, startled. "Sorry, Drew. She does that. I've been trying to get her to stop..."

But Drew laughed as he turned completely around. "That's all right, Phil," he replied. "If if was you doing that, I'd be a little more concerned." Then, a smile spread across his face while Phil laughed as he bent down a little to get a better look at the girl. "It's good to finally meet you, Lexie."

Lexie smiled up at him and grabbed his finger when he held it out for her to take. She babbled something that wasn't understandable before she put it in her mouth.

"She'll do that too," Phil muttered. "With her teething..."

"Don't worry, Phil, no harm done," Drew told him, laughing a little at the eight-month-old. "She's adorable."

"All right, we're checked in," Taryn said as she approached the two. "Hey, good to see you, Phil." Then, her face brightened up when she saw the child. "Oh, my God! Is this Lexie?"

"Yep!" Phil looked down at his daughter, who still had Drew's finger, with a proud glint in his eye.

"Aww, she's gotten so much bigger since the last picture you sent!" Taryn smiled broadly as she tickled the girl's neck, making her laugh. "She's really starting to look like you, Phil."

"You think?" Phil looked at Lexie's darkening hair as she looked up at him, pulling Drew's finger out of her mouth before saying, "Da."

"Too cute!" Taryn said while Phil laughed a little, and Lexie looked back at her. "Hi, sweetie!"

Lexie mumbled incoherently as she looked up at the smiling woman before smiling herself as she giggled and babbled more. "She's never usually this verbal," Phil commented as he shook his head. "Then again, she does love attention."

"Well, of course! Any cutie like this would." Taryn bent down a little as her husband had done and smiled. "Right, Lexie?"

The little girl once again smiled at the woman before her eyes widened a bit when she saw her large, hanging, silver earrings. Lexie cooed quietly, reaching toward Taryn.

"Can I hold her?" Taryn wondered, looking at Phil for confirmation.

Phil smiled when he saw that Lexie was still trying to reach her. "Of course, Taryn," he answered. "Mind taking her while I check in real quick?"

"Sure thing!" Taryn grinned as she took Lexie from him, watching as Phil kissed her head.

"Be right back, Lex," he muttered. "I'm not far."

As soon as Phil walked to the desk to check in, Lexie looked around to make sure he was still there. "Da!"

"Right here, Lex." Phil looked over and waved at her before going back to what he was doing. Lexie watched him for a moment until she was sure he was going to stay in sight before turning his attention to Taryn, wrapping her tiny fingers in her blonde waves as she made her way toward her earrings.

Then, the door to the hotel opened again, and Maria entered the lobby with their bags with John Hennigan walking beside her. When they got closer to the group, Lexie looked up when she heard the familiar laugh, and she smiled when she saw the red-haired woman.

"Ma!"

"Hello, my dear," Maria said with a huge smile at her daughter, setting the bags down so her arms would be free. "Making friends, huh?"

"Yeah, she's absolutely adorable, Ria!" Taryn replied, smiling herself when the eight-month-old started to reach for her mother.

But when Lexie looked at John, still standing next to Maria, she stopped when she spotted something before leaning toward him instead. "Oooh..."

"Whoa," John said with a laugh, pulling her carefully into his arms though it was unexpected. "Hi, Lexie."

The only response he got was another "ooh" from the eight-month-old girl.

Drew laughed a little. "Well, I guess your claim that you can get all the ladies is true," he muttered jokingly.

"Very funny, Drew." John then turned his attention back to Lexie when her hands went to his head, tiny fingers tangling in his hair. "Oh, I know what you want..." He shifted her to one arm before reaching up and lifting a pair of his rhinestone sunglasses from his head. "You want these, right?"

Lexie's eyes widened a bit as she reached for them, oohing loudly again.

John smiled and laughed a little. "Well, here." He then carefully placed them on her eyes.

"Aww, John, you don't have to give them to her," Maria said, though she found that Lexie wearing his sunglasses was incredibly adorable since they were much too big for her.

"Don't worry, I've got plenty," he told her with a smile, watching as Lexie looked around her with confusion through the sunglasses before finally pulling them off. She looked down at them, giggling loudly.

Taryn smiled as she turned her attention to the other woman. "So, Ria," she said. "If it's okay with you and Phil, Mickie and I wanted to take you out for a bit of a girls night tonight since it's been a while since we've seen you. Would you like to do that?"

Maria smiled. "Well, I'll have to ask Phil to see if he'd be okay with taking Lexie for a while by himself, but yeah, it sounds like fun," she replied. "I definitely need a girl's night."

"What about a girl's night?" Phil asked as he joined the group again, wrapping his arms around Maria's waist as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Taryn said she and Mickie want to take me out for a while tonight," Maria answered, looking at him as she ran her fingers through his hair. "You'd have to take Lexie... If you don't mind."

"Don't worry, Phil, we won't bring her back too late," Taryn added with a smile.

Phil laughed a little before turning to his wife and kissing her softly. "Of course I don't mind," he muttered. "You deserve to get out and have some fun, Ria. So, don't worry."

Maria smiled and kissed him again. "Thanks, sweetheart," she replied. "But are you sure you don't mind taking Lexie for a bit?"

"Nah, of course not," Phil told her, laughing again as he looked over at John, who was still holding their daughter next to them while she played with his glasses. "Besides, she seems perfectly content with him right now. Then again, all the girls love John, so I'm not surprised."

John rolled his eyes and Lexie giggled as she looked up at him, trying to put his sunglasses back on his eyes as he had done to her.

"Careful, Lex," Phil said when she came dangerously close to poking the other man's eye.

Lexie grinned broadly as she looked at her dad, turning back to John just to take his glasses back before reaching toward him. Phil released Maria and took her from his friend, backing his head away a bit when she put the glasses in his face, excited to show him her newly acquired toy.

"Yes, I see the awesome glasses, Lex," Phil told her, rubbing his forehead after she accidentally hit him with them.

The eight-month-old laughed and babbled incoherently before she reached forward and ceremoniously pulled on Phil's hair.

Phil sighed as his daughter giggled. Though he wanted Maria to get out and have some fun with friends, he knew it was going to be along night for him and Lexie.

xxx

Adam found a spot in the parking lot with relative ease, stepping out into the night once he shut the car off. Jay and Matt followed suit, and they waited for the Rated R Superstar to unlock the trunk to get their bags.

"So, how does this sound to you guys?" a smiling Matt asked as he took his luggage. "A couple of drinks for the three of us, my treat?"

Jay nodded thoughtfully, taking his bags as well. "Sounds good to me," he answered, looking at his best friend. "What do you say, Adam?"

Adam smiled as he looked back at the two men, shutting the trunk. "I'm holding you to that, Hardy."

Matt laughed as he began to follow the former tag team, his good mood lingering from earlier. But before he could say anything, he stopped when he saw another man leaning against the wall near the door, finishing up a cigarette. It was Jeff.

Jay turned to look over his shoulder, stopping when he saw that the older Hardy was no longer walking with them. "Hey, you coming, Matt?" he said as Adam stopped as well.

"Yeah, hold on..." Matt muttered quietly, not moving his eyes from his brother.

At the sound of Jay's question, Jeff looked up, his green eyes landing directly on Matt. A hint of shock appeared on his face for a brief instant before his expression went blank. He then tossed his cigarette to the ground, putting it out with his foot before walking quickly into the hotel.

Matt sighed, running his hand through his dark curls. He wanted to have the chance to talk to Jeff, to make things right between them. But it seemed that wasn't going to be easy...

"You all right?" Adam wondered, having seen the silent exchanged between the two brothers.

After a moment, Matt nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," he told him, giving him a smile. "Let's got get those drinks."

xxx

Phil sighed as he paced the hotel room, trying to calm a crying Lexie. "I know you're exhausted, sweetheart," he muttered, rubbing her back. "But that's why you need to sleep..." He knew the long car ride and being in a strange place was having a definite impact on the young child. Last he had heard from Maria, she was going to be back to the room in about an hour, but that didn't help their girl now as she continued to cry.

"Shh..." Punk then grabbed the remote from the foot of the bed and turned on the television for background noise since when they were home, they put her to sleep with music. He hoped this would have the same effect and help his daughter sleep.

When she heard the sound, Lexie's sobs slowly reduced to quiet whimpers as she looked at the screen curiously, Phil continuing to gently bounce her. "There," he muttered when she finally stopped even that, kissing her head when she laid it on his shoulder. "That's my girl..."

Then, he went over to the bed, setting the pillows up in a comfortable position before carefully laying down, Lexie laying on his chest. She mumbled something he couldn't understand before cooing with contentment, yawning as her eyes closed. Phil smiled with relief as he wrapped his arm securely around her, closing his own eyes to relax from the trip. He wasn't sure if she would sleep through the night, but at least for now, she was getting much needed rest from the long car ride. He was grateful for that.

When Maria quietly entered the hotel room about an hour later, the sight before her melted her heart. Phil was lying on the bed, sound asleep, his arm wrapped around a sleeping Lexie, cuddled on his chest. Smiling to herself, Maria turned off the lamp next to the bed before quickly changing into her pajamas and climbing into bed beside her exhausted husband and daughter.

"I love you," she whispered, lightly kissing Phil's cheek and Lexie's head so she wouldn't wake them before closing her eyes. It didn't take her long to fall asleep.

xxx

Outside in the dark parking lot, a man sat behind the wheel of a black car, smiling and humming cheerfully to himself as he looked up at the hotel.

"I hope you all enjoy tonight," he muttered, glancing at his reflection in the rear-view mirror. "For tomorrow... Tomorrow is my day."

**Author's Note**: That's it for chapter one! I know it's not the most exciting, but it sets everything up. The next chapter will most definitely pick up. Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Yay! I'm glad you guys liked the start of this (and Lexie, lol)! Sorry for the wait, I've been a bit busy lately. But thank you so much to **elliexhardy**, **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, **I luv miss Jeff and Edge**, **blackbear1020**, **hardygirl87**, **x0allisonqt0x**, **Evildarkwolf**, **myers1978**, **ThePinkyPop**, **the hardy boyz lover**, and **vampiregirl2009** for your awesome reviews! I really appreciate them. Thanks for sticking with me. So, onto chapter two!

_Chapter 2_

A police officer walked down a dark hallway lined with prison cells as he did every morning, checking on their inhabitants. Most of them usually ignored him on his round, but there was one that would always strike up a friendly conversation with him, which was a nice change.

"All right, what will it be today?" the officer asked, stopping in front of his cell.

But when he didn't get an answer like usual, he raised his sunglasses a bit to get a better look at the prisoner. His eyes widened when he saw that the cell was empty.

* * *

Jay walked down the hallway of the hotel, digging in his pockets for the key to the room he was sharing with Adam. He had been planning on heading to the gym, but he had left his wallet on his bed, and he was headed back to get it before he left.

Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a faint but familiar pained cry coming from the direction of the room. "Adam?" Jay asked, running forward to see what was wrong when he heard another one. "Ad-!"

But he stopped when he rounded the corner, seeing his eyes widening with fear when he saw that unlike the hall he had just been in, this one was dark and filled with rubble and dust.

Jay quickly looked over his shoulder, seeing that hallway was now collapsed too. "What the hell?" But his confusion was quickly replaced with mounting worry when he realized that he was back in the bombed hotel.

Then, another scream brought him out of his thoughts, knowing that it belonged to his best friend. Jay hurried forward through the rubble, coughing when dust entered his lungs as he searched for the other man. "Adam!" he shouted. "Adam!"

There was a long moment of silence which only made Jay's anxiety rise. Where was he?

"Please... help... please..."

The voice was so quiet that he could barely hear it, but it made Jay double his efforts since he could clearly hear the pain in his tone. "Adam, where are you?" He considered the man to be his brother. He had to help him. "Can you hear me? Where are you?"

"Help..."

"Hold on, Adam!" Jay continued to try to encourage him, hearing that his voice was growing weaker, as he pushed large debris piles out of the way to make his way down the dark hall. "I'm coming! Just help me find you..."

"... Jay..."

His name came out as only a whisper before Adam's agonized cry echoed around him, and Jay felt dread course through him when his foot caught on a piece of rubble and he fell toward the floor.

But the impact never came. Instead, Jay's eyes widened with fear when he was swallowed up by blackness, not able to get Adam's scream out of his mind...

* * *

Jay gasped quietly as his eyes quickly snapped open, and he sighed heavily when he saw that he was lying in the bed he was using in his and Adam's hotel room. He slowly sat up, squinting a bit in the early morning light filtering in through the window as he looked around.

Then, he smiled slightly to himself when he saw that Adam was lying in the bed next to the one he was using, still asleep. At least he was okay.

Hoping to shake off the lingering thoughts of his nightmare, Jay got off his bed and went to the bathroom, turning on the sink and splashing cold water on his face. It was just a dream... But he had been so helpless. His best friend had needed him, and he hadn't been able to do anything about it...

Then, he heard Adam's scream echoing in his mind, and Jay quickly turned the water off and closed his eyes until the sound died away. He remembered how close he had been to losing his best friend a little over a year ago. What if he hadn't been able to slow the bleeding from the stab wound long enough to get him out of the hotel? What if he hadn't been able to push him away from the collapsing balcony? What it he hadn't gone with him to the hospital in time?

What if because of him... Adam had died?

Then, Jay glanced at the door when he thought he heard a quiet noise on the other side that he couldn't quite place. He quickly dried his face with a towel before entering the main part of the room, seeing with concern that Adam's face had contorted into a look of pain and stress, his fingers grabbing quickly at his wrists. He must have been having a nightmare.

"Hey, Man, wake up. Come on," Jay muttered, placing his hand on his tensed shoulder as he crouched down next to his bed. "Adam..."

* * *

Adam stood on the balcony of the bombed hotel, looking down at the ruins beneath him. He was glad that Jay had been able to get out of harm's way in time. The other man was his best friend after all. If something happened to him...

Then, he heard a deafening crack around him, and Adam felt the balcony collapse from beneath his feet. He began to fall with it, knowing that he wasn't going to survive the impact below. But he found himself accepting that fact. At least Jay would survive...

But the fall wasn't what he had been anticipating as he instead landed in a dirt hole that was roughly coffin-sized. Adam frantically looked around at the high earthy walls, trying to sit up but stopping when he noticed that his hands were tied tightly together in front of him. He started to quickly try to work them free, and he cursed heatedly when the rope wouldn't budge.

"Hello?" Adam shouted, looking up at the night sky above him. "Is anyone up there? Hello?!" For a moment, Jay crossed his mind. He had escaped. Couldn't he help?

Then, the outline of a man appeared at the top of the hole, looking down at him. Adam squinted to see him clearly, but he couldn't make out his features. "Please-!"

But his sentence ended in a gasp of fear when a large amount of dirt began to fall toward him, his scream muffled as he started to get completely buried.

* * *

Adam gasped loudly and sat straight up on his bed, his fingers still working anxiously at his wrists. When he saw that there was no rope and he wasn't laying in a hole being buried, he sighed with relief and put his head in his hands, trying to drive away the lingering thoughts of his nightmare.

But the one thought that still remained was how he had been the one to fall instead of Jay. It should have been him in that hotel, not his best friend. Fortunately, he had been able to catch him in his weakened state. He didn't now what he would have done if he hadn't been able to...

"Are you all right?"

At the sound of the quiet question, Adam slowly looked up and saw that Jay was crouched next to the bed he was using. "WHat are you doing up so early?" he asked, rubbing his tired eyes.

Jay sighed. "I had a nightmare too," he admitted.

Adam shook his head as a quiet laugh escaped from him. "I haven't had a dream about that hotel in almost a year," he muttered, mainly to himself since he wasn't able to meet the other man's gaze. "Maybe it's because we're here..."

"I have." Jay had kept the reoccurring nightmare to himself since he didn't have it every night, but the one he had just woken from had been different than the others. Usually, he was able to find Adam, but every time, there was nothing he could do to help. Though he frantically tried everything he could, he still had to watch the other man die. The fact that he had almost taken his best friend's life was still weighing heavily on his conscience.

After a moment of looking at him and realizing that he wasn't going to say anything more, Adam sighed and looked away before getting off of his bed and making his way toward the bathroom. "I'll be right back, Jay."

Jay watched him for a minute before sighing himself, getting to his feet. "Hey, Adam?" he asked.

Adam pushed open the door, stopping to look back at him. "Yeah?"

"How come you've forgiven me so quickly when I don't deserve it?" Jay finally muttered, a confused yet hurt look on his face. "You almost died because of me..."

Adam sighed, running his hand through his hair as he thought about what he could say. "First off, it's over," he told him quietly. "There's nothing left to say about it. And second, you're wrong, Jay. I would have died if it hadn't been for you. I owe you that much." Then, before anything else could be said, he turned and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Jay looked at the closed door in disbelief. He still had Adam's forgiveness, even though he felt like he shouldn't. But there was one thing he definitely agreed with. It was over. And hopefully, his nightmares would be too.

He sighed, sitting down on his friend's bed as he ran his hand through his hair. "You don't owe me anything, Adam."

* * *

Jeff sighed as he left his hotel room, heading to the cafe down in the lounge for some coffee. He knew that almost everyone in the group had already gone down to breakfast, and he wanted to spend some time with them to catch up on what had happened since the incident since he hadn't had much time to talk to any of them. He knew that they were all planning on doing their own thing to prepare for the show that night, but even a little time to talk to them now would be good. There would be plenty of time to talk more in depth later.

He heard a door open and close behind him as someone entered the hallway, but Jeff continued walking since he wanted to get to the cafe before everyone left. He only started to pay attention to the person walking behind him when he heard the familiar voice.

"Jeff, wait."

The younger Hardy stopped, sighing as he turned around to face Matt. "What?" His tone wasn't cold, but it wasn't friendly either as he looked at his brother.

Matt sighed, his dark eyes faltering. "Everything going okay?" he asked, the tension between them easily noticeable.

Jeff slowly nodded. "Yeah," he answered quietly with a sigh, not able to meet the older man's gaze. "Everything's fine. Uh... I see you're out now. That's good..."

"Yeah..." Mat sighed himself as he ran his hand through his dark curls. "Look, Jeff. About what happened..."

The younger Hardy raised his hand, which caused Matt to stop. "No, Matt. I don't want to talk about it right now," he muttered. "I don't hate you, if that's what you wanted to ask. But I just can't right now. Not when today is so special."

Matt nodded, understanding where his brother was coming from. That night was going to be a celebration, and he didn't want to ruin that. But Jeff had said that he didn't hate him. If that was the case, why was he avoiding him?

Before he could ask, Jeff turned and walked down the rest of the hallway, disappearing around the corner. Matt sighed to himself, knowing that he should join the rest of the group in the cafe too, but he just didn't feel like it. Instead, he turned and went back to his hotel room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

The day passed quickly for John as he prepared for the show that night. His schedule was full after breakfast, from getting some training in at the gym to having a late lunch with his best friend, Mike Mizanin. He had tried to keep himself busy since he was almost anxious to step into the ring again.

WHen he returned to the hotel, he saw that Jeff was standing outside, staring at something in the distance. "What's up, Jeff?" he asked, stopping next to the younger Hardy.

Jeff sighed as he turned to look at his friend. "We're so close," he answered quietly, looking back out at the hill the hotel had once been standing on. "Just for closure... I want to go back. Just one more time to see that it's over..."

John sighed as he pulled his cell phone out to check the time. "Well, we have some time before we have to leave for the show," he muttered. "All right. I'll grab my bag, and we'll head over."

A few minutes later, John was driving in the direction of where the old hotel had once stood, memories of the ordeal coming back to him. Jeff sat in the passenger seat beside him, silent as they got closer. This was the best thing, he knew. He had to see that it was over so he could try to put it behind him.

When John came to a stop on the hill, they saw they weren't the only ones as they parked next to a couple other cars.

"Looks like we all had the same idea," Jeff muttered as he stepped out of the car.

Adam and Jay glanced over their shoulders when Jeff and John approached the rest of the group. "Hey, we were wondering when you guys would show up."

Jeff smiled slightly at the Rated R Superstar. "Since we're here, we had to see it one last time, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's true," Drew answered, pulling Taryn close. "Just to finish it..."

"I can't believe it's already been over a year," Jay muttered, staring at the ruins in the gentle light of the setting sun in disbelief. "It's surreal..." Adam nodded in agreement.

Jeff's eyes scanned the rest of the group, seeing that Maria was the only one absent, but he understood why she wouldn't want to bring Lexie to this place. His eyes then landed on Matt, who he noticed was looking at him, and he sighed and lowered his gaze.

They all stood in silence for a moment that felt as though it could stretch on forever, merely staring at the remains of what had once been the place that had nearly claimed them. Lives had been lost, friendships severed, and bonds still tested, but yet they had survived, left with strengthened friendships, broken dreams, and dark memories.

John sighed, running his hand through his hair. "This is where it all happened..."

"It's over now," Phil muttered, crossing his arms in front of him. He knew that he would never be able to forget what had happened inside that hotel with almost losing Maria and Shane almost taking his life, but he could now put it behind him. He had his wife, his beautiful daughter, which were the two best things that had ever happened to him.

The nightmare was finally over.

* * *

Maria sighed as she finished packing up Lexie's diaper bag, balancing the alert eight-month-old on her hip as she did so. She cooed and babbled happily while her mother worked, her tiny fingers wrapping in her red hair.

"No, Lexie," Maria said while she laughed, pulling her hand away before grabbing the television remote to check what the weather was going to be like that night so she could dress her daughter accordingly when she met Phil at the arena.

But her face drained of color when she saw the breaking news report that had been playing since that morning, her eyes widening with fear. "Oh, my God..." she whispered.

Lexie whimpered, turning away from the television screen so she didn't have to look at the escaped man's face, but it had been her mother's reaction that startled her since she was suddenly holding her closer to her. Maria finally tore her eyes away from the screen, turning off the television and grabbing Lexie's diaper bag before hurrying out of the hotel room. She only hoped that she could catch Phil in time.

* * *

Matt sighed as he left Adam and Jay when the three of them arrived at the arena, nervously heading toward Vince McMahon's office. He had left a message on the chairman's cell phone upon the urging of his friends saying that he wanted to meet with him, and he had surprised him by saying that he could come see him before the show.

The older Hardy bit his bottom lip when he reached the room and quickly knocked on the door, waiting nervously. It opened a moment later, revealing Vince on the other side.

"Hello, Matt," he said, both men smiling as they shook hands. "Come on in."

* * *

Adam and Jay walked toward their dressing rooms, both excited for the show ahead.

"First show with all of us back," Adam muttered, a huge smile forming on his face. "It's incredible."

"It really is," Jay agreed. "I can't wait for this."

* * *

Jeff and John entered the arena, the younger Hardy leaving his friend when he made his way toward the locker rooms. He wandered through the halls to take his place backstage and wait for the show to begin. He smiled with anticipation, knowing that night was going to be one amazing show.

* * *

Drew and Taryn stood backstage together, hand in hand as they snuck a glance at the sold out crowd.

"You can definitely feel the energy," Taryn muttered, looking up at her husband with an excited smile lighting up her face. "Are you ready?"

Returning her smile, Drew leaned down and quickly kissed her. "Of course," he told her. "I've been looking forward to this for a long time."

* * *

Phil stood backstage, preparing to go out onto the ramp since he was to go out next for the show. He did some stretches before hopping from foot to foot in anticipation. It was going to be his first time back in the WWE ring for over a year, and it was going to be amazing to come back to a place he loved so much.

"Phil!"

The sudden anxious voice surprised him, and Phil quickly turned around and watched as Maria approached him, Lexie in her arms.

"Da!" the eight-month-old exclaimed happily, a huge smile on her face at finding her father.

"What's going on, Ria?" Phil asked, concerned as he kissed her. "I have to go out in a second..."

Maria looked back up at him with fear in her eyes while Lexie cooed with contentment as she played with Phil's finger. "Phil, something happened," she muttered anxiously, taking his other hand tightly. "We have to leave. It's-!"

Before she could finish, they all heard "This Fire Burns" blare from the arena, and Phil sighed. "I have to go, Ria," he said, squeezing her hand before releasing it. "We'll have to talk later. I love you." He kissed Lexie's head as he gently pulled his finger away. "Love you too, Lex. Be good for Mama. See you both soon." Then, he turned and walked out onto the ramp, greeted by loud cheers from the audience.

Sighing, Maria held Lexie closer to her as she turned her attention to the screen, watching as Phil made his way down to the ring. Lexie pointed up to it excitedly. "Da!"

"Yes, Lexie," Maria murmured, but she couldn't fight the thin line of tears that formed in her eyes. She only wished that she could have gotten to Phil a little sooner.

* * *

"That was amazing!" Adam exclaimed, walking toward the parking lot after leaving the locker rooms with Jay, Phil, John, and Jeff. "I have never seen a crowd that electric." The show had ben an interesting one for the survivors for the ordeal since they had all stood in the ring together as they watched video interviews of their reflections of what had happened. The show had ended with a five-man tag team match, consisting of the five men in the group against the most prominent heels on the rosters, which they had won.

"Well, yeah, it's us," Phil said with a broad smile. "We made our triumphant returns. Why _wouldn't_ that crowd be that electric?"

Adam laughed a little as he pushed the arena door open and held it for the others to step outside too. "True."

Jeff smiled as he looked at his four friends. "Wonderful show tonight, guys," he told them before turning his attention solely to John. "I don't know what it is, but I'm exhausted. Mind if I take the car and head back to the hotel?"

"No, of course not," John replied, reaching into his jeans pocket and pulling out the keys to the rental car. "Here. I'll just go with one of these guys. We are going out, right?"

"Yeah, we're meeting the others at a place not too far from here," Jay muttered. "If you want to come with us, we're just waiting for Matt."

"And we're not going to go with Lexie," Phil added. "It's already past her bedtime. I just have to go find Maria."

"All right, then. Thanks for the ride, Jay." John then turned to the younger Hardy and gave him the keys. "Feel better, Jeff."

Jeff smiled as he took them. "Thanks, Man. See you guys later."

When Jeff had walked away, Adam turned to Jay. "While we wait for Matt, I'm going to get the car and bring it over here," he told him. "That way, we can start putting our bags in."

Jay looked back at him, watching as his best friend set his bag down. "Okay."

Adam gave him a small smile before he crossed the street to their rental car, leaving him talking to John and Phil. But as he pulled the keys out to unlock it, the teeth got stuck on the edge of his pocket and fell, and he watched as they bounced a little and landed behind the front tire.

Sighing, Adam knelt down and looked for the keys, but he froze when he saw a flashing red light attached to the bottom of the car. Looking closer, his heart nearly stopped when he saw the light, which had begun to blink faster, was on a timer that was getting closer to zero...

"Oh, shit!"

Adam quickly pushed himself to his feet and began to run as fast as he could away from the car, knowing he didn't have much time. A couple of seconds later, he heard and felt the thunderous explosion behind him, the force sending him forward. Adam landed hard on the ground, momentarily dazed from the impact, before slowly sitting up, his eyes wide with shock when he saw the burning remains of the rental car as car alarms echoed around him. If he hadn't dropped the keys, he would have been inside of that car when it exploded...

Then, he gasped when his cell phone began to vibrate from his pocket, signaling an incoming call, and he quickly pulled it out. He didn't recognize the number, but he shakily answered it anyway in case it was important. "He-hello?"

There was a quiet laugh on the other end. _"Hello, Adam."_

Adam's face drained of color, his heart racing with fear when he heard the unmistakable voice.

It was Shane McMahon.

**Author's Note**: And... this is where things start to pick up. Hope you liked it! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: I'm sorry for the longer wait, guys! School kept me busy, but now that I'm on summer vacation, I have a lot more time to update. I also have the next couple of chapters done, so there shouldn't be as long of a wait now. Thanks for sticking with me! And thank you to **the hardy boyz lover**, **x0allisonqt0x**, **myers1978**, **elliexhardy**, **vampiregirl2009**, **hardygirl87**, **purplelygoodnes**, **ThePinkyPop**, and **Evildarkwolf **for your awesome reviews! Without any further ado, let's get on with this chapter!

_Chapter 3_

_"Hello, Adam."_

Adam felt dread course through him when he heard the unmistakable voice of Shane McMahon. "Wh-what do you want?" he demanded. "How the hell are you calling me?"

But Shane only laughed again at his question. _"You'll find out soon enough," _he told him. _"For now, I see you avoided my little surprise. It made quite a bang, didn't it?"_

"You twisted freak!" Adam snapped angrily, slowly getting over his shock. "Where the hell are you?"

_"Don't worry. I'm sure we'll run into each other sometime soon," _Shane said. _"Goodbye for now."_

"Wait!" Adam shouted, but he was too late when the younger McMahon hung up. He sighed, staring at his phone in disbelief for another moment before putting it back in his pocket before looking at the flaming remains of what had once been his rental car. Shane had set the car bomb...

"Adam!"

At the anxious sound of his name, Adam quickly looked up, watching as Jay, John, and Phil quickly approached him. "Are you okay?" his best friend asked as he dropped down next to him and placed his hand on his shoulder, seeing how pale his face was. "Are you hurt?"

"No..." Adam answered as he tried to catch his breath and slowly shook his head while John knelt on his other side, Phil standing behind them as he looked at the fire before them in shock. "That's not it..."

"What is it?" John wondered quietly.

Adam slowly turned back to look at the car, his breathing hard as he swallowed nervously. His response came out so quietly that his three friends hardly heard him, but the two words were still crystal clear.

"It's Shane..."

John and Phil exchanged startled looks while Jay stared at Adam with fear. "You're sure?" the other Canadian asked.

Adam nodded, but before he could say anything more, Phil's cell phone began to ring. The Straightedge Superstar pulled it out of his pocket, surprised when he saw the number.

"It's Jeff," he muttered before answering the call. "Hello?"

The other three men watched as Phil's face turned from confused to worried while he listened to the other man. "Are you okay? Where are you?" he asked. There was a shorter length of silence while the younger Hardy answered his questions. "Okay, hold on. I'll be right there." He then ended the call and put his phone back in his pocket.

"What's going on?" John wondered as Phil began to walk over to where his car was parked.

"I'm going to get Jeff," Phil called over his shoulder, pulling his keys out while he walked. "Someone just ran him off the road."

xxx

Jeff stood on the side of the dark road, staring down at the rental car he had borrowed from John that was now sitting in the ditch. It had all happened so fast. He had almost been to the hotel, thinking about how nice it was going to be to just relax for the rest of the night, when a black car had suddenly rammed into him from behind. He had tried to control the car while it swerved wildly, but it hadn't been enough to keep it from going into the ditch while the black car sped away. Fortunately, he hadn't been hurt, but he couldn't say the same for the rental car. He would pay John for any damages done.

A pair of headlights turned the corner onto the street he was on, and Jeff watched as a navy car approached him and slowed to a stop. He heard the quiet click as it was unlocked, and he pulled the door open before climbing into the passenger seat beside Phil.

"Thanks for the ride, Man," Jeff said, putting his seatbelt on.

"No problem," Phil replied, glancing in the rear-view mirror to make sure that there wasn't any more traffic before he turned around to head back toward the arena. "So, someone purposely ran you off the road?" He noticed that the younger Hardy had a small cut on his cheek from the accident.

Jeff nodded. "Yeah," he muttered. "Some black car. It sped away too fast before I could see a license plate or anything... I called John's car in before I called you."

"Okay, good." Phil sighed as he stopped at a red light, closing his eyes for a minute as he put his hand to his head. "My God... First Adam, now you... What next?"

"What happened to Adam?" Jeff quickly looked at Phil, worried. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine. Just shaken up," Phil told him, beginning to drive again when the light changed. "There was a bomb on his car. Fortunately, he wasn't inside when it went off..."

Jeff stared at Phil, eyes wide with horror. "Who would do this?" he murmured.

Phil was silent for a long moment, staring intently at the road ahead of him. "I have an idea."

Before Jeff could push the subject further, Phil sighed with frustration when he saw that the street that led up to the arena was no blocked off by fire trucks and other emergency vehicles, and he put on the brakes. "Of course," he said, mainly to himself as he pulled out his cell phone. "What's another obstacle?" Jeff watched as he found a number on speed dial and called it, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel while he waited for the person to answer.

"Hey, Ria. Where are you guys?"

Jeff tuned out the rest of his friend's conversation with his wife as he stared out the window at the flashing lights. Had the same person who ran him off the road also put the bomb on Adam's car? And if so, he couldn't think of who would be doing it...

He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard Phil sigh and put his phone back in his pocket. "They had to go to a hotel a different way," the other man explained, looking out the back window as he put the car in reverse and began to back up. "She told us to meet them there."

"Okay." Jeff was silent while Phil got back onto the road that would bring them to the hotel, wondering if he should bring up the incidents again. "So... you said you had an idea of who could be behind what happened?"

"I'm not exactly sure," Phil replied quietly. "After the car bomb went off, Adam got a call from Shane McMahon."

Jeff's eyes widened. "How did-!"

"That's what I don't know," Phil interrupted. "I mean, I guess it's possible he called from prison or something, but..."

The younger Hardy sighed heavily as he lowered his gaze. If Shane McMahon was behind what had happened to him and Adam, he knew they were all in more trouble than they realized.

They arrived at the hotel a few minutes later and found a spot to park in the lot. Phil locked the car after they both climbed out, and they quickly entered the building. The rest of the group was already there, spread out in the lobby. Adam and Jay were sitting in a couple of chairs against the wall, the former still appearing shaken. John was talking to Matt close to the empty front desk, most likely catching him up on what had happened, and Drew and Taryn were standing near the television across the room, watching the news intently.

Maria was pacing with a whimpering Lexie in her arms, trying to calm her. When she heard the door open, a look of relief passed over her face when she saw her husband and friend, and she hurried over to them. "Thank God you're here, Phil," she whispered, leaning into his arms as he pulled her close.

"It's okay, Ria," Phil muttered with a sigh, kissing her head. "It's all right."

Lexie looked up at her father, whimpering as she reached out toward him. Phil released Maria before taking his daughter, noticing that she was acting a bit differeently as she placed her head on his chest.

"What's up, Lex?"

Maria gave them a small smile before turning to look at one of her closest friends. "Hey, Jeff. You okay?" she asked, giving him a tight hug.

"Yeah, I'll live," Jeff answered quietly, smiling as he released her.

"I'm glad." Then, Maria's eyes narrowed when she noticed the cut on his cheek. "You're bleeding... Here." She pulled a Kleenex out of his pocket and handed it to the younger Hardy.

"Thanks." Jeff took it from her and pressed it lightly against his cheek.

"Hey, guys. Look at this!" Taryn suddenly exclaimed, looking up at the television with fear. The rest of the group turned to face her and Drew, eyeing the news headline nervously.

Maria reached forward and grabbed Phil's arm. "That's what I was trying to talk to you about earlier," she muttered.

Phil looked from his wife up to the screen. "Can you guys turn it up?" he asked.

"Sure." Drew reached up and hit the volume button so the woman's voice filled the lobby.

_"... prisoner Shane McMahon has escaped early this morning. At this time, authorities are unsure if he's armed, but he should be considered extremely dangerous. Use caution if..."_

A tense silence filled the room as Drew turned off the television, having heard enough. Phil held Lexie closer to his chest, kissing the top of her head. Shane had escaped, and by what had already happened, it was clear what his intent was. Adam had nearly been blown up and Jeff had been run off the road, and he had no doubt in his mind what the younger McMahon had been behind both attacks.

What was next?

Before anyone could say anything else, they all turned to look at Matt when his cell phone began to ring. The older Hardy slowly pulled it out of his pocket, sighing when he saw that it was a number he recognized. He answered the call, putting it on speaker so the rest of the group could hear it.

"What do you want, Shane?" he demanded angrily.

A laugh came from the phone sitting in Matt's palm, and though the sound sent a chill down everyone's spine, they all stared at the phone with wide, fearful eyes as though it was the man himself. _"So, you do remember my number," _Shane said. _"How nice..."_

"Save it," Matt snapped. "What do you want from us?"

There was a silence for a long moment, one that left the group waiting anxiously for what the man would say next. Lexie began to whimper, clinging to her father's shirt, and Phil tried to shush her as he began to pace.

_"I know my greeting to Adam and Jeff were... a bit overboard," _Shane finally continued. _"But I wanted you all to know that there's no more playing around. Matt... Jay..." _The man tensed when he heard his name added. Shane must have known they were all listening. _"You will regret turning your backs on me... when I take away the one thing you care about most."_

Matt felt dread flood through him at the threat. "What..."

Jay thought over the words from where he sat next to his best friend, repeating them quietly to himself. Then, his eyes widened with fear as he looked up at his friend. "Matt, that's why Adam and Jeff were targeted!" he told him anxiously.

"You bastard!" Matt shouted at the phone, nerves on high alert when he realized what Jay said was correct. "Stay away from my brother, or I'll-!"

_"Or you'll what?" _Shane interrupted. _"Believe me, Matt, there's nothing you'll be able to do to save him."_

Matt cursed heatedly under his breath. "When I get my hands on you..."

_"Why don't you finish that threat now? I'm a lot closer than you think."_

Maria sighed as she turned away from the older Hardy, not wanting to hear Shane's voice anymore. But when she looked out the window, her eyes widened as she screamed.

Looking in at them from the night was Shane McMahon.

**Author's Note**: Get used to cliffhanger endings, lol! There will be a lot more of them! But, I hope you all enjoyed it! The next chapter will be up soon, as it is already sitting done in my notebook. Thanks, guys! Your reviews are much appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! I'm back with another update! Thanks to **ThePinkyPop**, **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, **x0allisonqt0x**, **vampiregirl2009 **(you never know what will happen!), **elliexhardy**, **the hardy boyz lover**, and **Evildarkwolf** for your reviews! I really appreciate them! I won't keep you any longer, so here we go!

_Chapter 4_

Phil quickly looked over his shoulder to see why his wife had screamed, Lexie beginning to cry since she was startled by the sound. His eyes widened when he saw Shane smirking at them from the window, holding his daughter closer as he tried to shield her from the man with his arms. Jeff and Adam both stared at him with shock while Maria and Taryn moved over to the crying girl to see if they could help console her.

Matt abruptly ended the call and shoved the phone in his pocket before he started toward the door. Jay jumped up from the chair and put his hands on his friend's arms in a restraining way. "Matt, we have to think clearly about this," he told him.

But the older Hardy tried to fight out of his hold. "Let me go, Jay!" he snapped. "He threatened my brother!"

Jay sighed. "He threatened mine too," he muttered. When Matt finally stopped struggling, he lowered his hands. "We have to keep a level head with this, Matt. Adam and Jeff's lives depend on it."

Sighing, Matt slowly nodded in agreement. "You're right, Jay, you're right..."

Then, John took a couple of steps closer to the window. "He's gone," he muttered.

From beside Taryn, Drew's eyes narrowed angrily. "Well, he won't get far." He stormed over to the door and threw it open, looking up and down the dark sidewalk before suddenly running out into the night.

"Drew!" Taryn shouted.

Cursing heatedly under his breath, John ran outside after him, watching as Drew ran down the sidewalk after a dark figure he really couldn't make out clearly but was sure was Shane. He began to quickly follow after the Scotsman, watching as the man in front turned into an alley. Drew slowed down a bit, but John gasped and sped up when he heard the sound of a car starting. He reached the younger man, grabbing his arm as the sound of squealing tires echoed in the night around them. He pulled him back from the alley, both men falling onto the sidewalk as a black car sped out onto the street, disappearing from sight.

"Are you okay?" John asked, slowly sitting up as he tried to catch his breath.

Drew nodded after a moment, sitting up beside the other man. "Yeah," he answered quietly. "Thanks."

John merely nodded in response, helping the other man to his feet. "Come on," he muttered. "Let's get back."

After telling the rest of the group that Shane had gotten away, everyone went up to their separate rooms, exhausted after the long day. Jeff slowly walked up the stairs, the Kleenex Maria had given him still at his cheek since the cut was still bleeding. He would clean it more when he got to the room, but he would have to work with what he had for now.

"Jeff."

Sighing, the younger Hardy stopped and turned to see Matt coming up the stairs after him. The two brothers looked at each other for a long moment before the older sighed.

"Why didn't you call me when you were in trouble?" he asked quietly. He was relieved that Jeff had come out of the accident relatively unhurt, but he was the older brother. He should have been the one that was looking out for him.

Jeff rolled his eyes as he continued to go up the stairs. "_Now_ you care again?" he muttered pressing the Kleenex to his cheek with a bit more pressure. "It only took a damn car accident, Matt..."

"You don't know what he has planned, Jeff!" Matt went up a couple more steps after his brother, hoping that he would stay.

This statement made Jeff stop again, and he quickly turned to face the older Hardy. "Like you do?" he demanded. "Look, Matt. Shane's after me and Adam. That's all anyone knows. So you've worked for him once. It doesn't matter now, does it?"

Matt didn't have an answer for what Jeff was saying, so all he could do was sigh and lower his gaze. Jeff's harsh green eyes softened, but he still turned and continued up to his room.

Once he was gone, Matt suddenly reached out and pounded on the wall with frustration. "I may not know what Shane has planned," he whispered to himself. "But I do know what he's capable of."

* * *

Adam and Jay entered their room in silence, the former immediately collapsing onto his bed. Jay sighed as he sat on his own bed, looking over at the other man with concern.

"Are you okay?" he wondered, knowing that he still must have been affected by the events of that night.

After a long moment, Adam slowly nodded, still staring at the ceiling. "Yeah, I'm fine," he muttered. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Jay smiled and shook his head a little. "Maybe because your car exploded and you were almost in it," he said.

"Well, I wasn't." The shortness of Adam's tone showed that he didn't want to think about it. "Therefore, I'm fine."

"Stubborn as always." When Adam didn't say anything, Jay sighed. "I'm sorry..."

Confused, Adam slowly turned his head to look at his best friend. "What for?" he asked. "You didn't set the bomb."

Jay slowly looked up to meet the other man's gaze. "No, I didn't," he answered quietly. "But it happened because of me..."

Adam slowly sat up, watching him carefully. "Jay?"

"Shane's trying to kill you to get back at me," Jay finally said, not able to look at his best friend. "It should be me, not you..."

Sighing, Adam got to his feet as he began to pace the room. "Listen, Jay," he muttered. "Turning against Shane in that hotel was the right thing. I respect you for that. Now Shane's out for revenge. It's something we should have expected. Don't beat yourself up about this, Jay. We know what he wants, so we have a better chance at stopping it. See what I'm getting at here?"

Jay slowly looked up when Adam didn't say anything else, but he still sighed. "You're the closest thing I have to a brother, Adam," he told him quietly. "Last time... It was me that almost killed you. If you would have died..." His sentence trailed off as he took a deep breath. "If anything happens to you this time, it'll still be because of me..."

Adam looked at him sadly before he sat down on the bed next to him. "I've forgiven you for what happened last year because you're my brother and also the one that saved my life," he replied sincerely. "I wouldn't have made it out of that hotel if it hadn't been for you. And with Shane now... There are more of us than there are of him. He can try to come for me, but I'm not going anywhere."

The last statement made Jay laugh a little, and he smiled slightly as he quickly hugged Adam. "Thanks." Though it was only one word, it summed up a lot of what he was feeling.

Seeming to understand the significance, Adam nodded as he got back to his feet. "Now that we have all that figured out," he said, "I'm going to kick Shane's ass next time we see him for blowing up my rental car."

* * *

Phil gently set a sleeping Lexie on the bed in their room, the television playing softly in the background, before he walked over to Maria, who was standing at the window and nervously playing with her red hair. He wound his arms around her waist from behind, pulling her close and kissing her cheek as he carefully lowered her hand.

"It's okay, Ria," he murmured, lips lingering close to her ear. "It'll be okay."

Maria sighed as she laid her head on Phil's shoulder, grateful for the security of his arms wrapped around her. "Shane's coming for us, Phil," she said, grabbing his hand tightly. "We have to leave."

Phil placed his chin on top of her head. "His main goal is to get revenge on Matt and Jay, so his targets are Adam and Jeff," he replied, squeezing her hand. "Besides, we're safer as a group since it's one man against all of us. And I'm going to make sure that we stop Shane for good this time and that Jeff and Adam are okay..."

"What about Lexie?"

His wife's quiet question made Phil sigh. "Ria," he muttered, tilting her head up so she was looking at him. "You and Lexie are my first priority. I would give my life to make sure that nothing happened to either of you."

A thin line of tears formed in Maria's eyes, and Phil pulled her into another tight hug. "We're going to make it through this, Ria," he assured her, kissing her head as she quietly cried. "We're going to get through this. I promise, nothing's going to happen to you or Lexie."

After another moment, Maria looked up at Phil, taking a deep breath as she carefully wiped her tears away. "Promise me you'll be okay," she whispered, memories from the year before when she had almost lost him when he had been shot by Shane coming back to her.

Phil sighed quietly as he looked back at his wife, tenderly brushing some of her red hair out of her face. He hated not knowing how to reply to her since that was something he couldn't guarantee, but he had to put her mind at ease somehow. "I'll be fine. I promise."

* * *

Matt paced his room, sighing as he looked down at the number he had put into his cell phone. His mind was racing, sorting through his options as he debated about whether or not he should call it. Jeff was his first priority, that much he knew. But if he wanted to keep him safe, he wondered if this was worth it.

Finally coming to the conclusion that it was, Matt pushed the call button and brought the phone up to his ear, his anxiety rising with every ring.

_"Hello?"_

When the familiar voice finally answered, Matt stopped walking and took a deep breath. "Tell me what I have to do."

* * *

The next day came early for everyone. Running on minimal hours of sleep, the group, except for Maria, met down in the lobby to discuss plans for that night's house show.

"We have two less cars than we started with," Adam said. "How should we arrange this?"

"Well, Ria isn't going to to the show tonight, so I could take Lexie's car seat out and fit a couple people," Phil suggested.

"And we could bring a couple more," Taryn added.

"Okay, so between the rest of us, that shouldn't be too bad," Jay muttered. "What do you think, Adam? Should we go with Phil then?"

Adam shrugged. "That's fine with me," he replied. "And then Matt and John can go with Drew and Taryn. That just leaves Jeff. Are you coming tonight?"

Jeff sighed as he slowly shook his head. "No, I don't think so," he told him. "I'll probably stay at the hotel tonight."

The rest of the group exchanged nervous looks, unsure if leaving Jeff behind would be a good idea. But, they figured that he would be okay as long as he didn't leave the hotel, and they would focus more on keeping their eyes on Adam.

When the time came to leave for the house show, Phil went out to the car to take out Lexie's seat while Jay and Adam put their bags in the back. A couple of spaces away, Matt and John were filling up Drew's car with their bags. Jeff stood at the door of the hotel, smoking a cigarette as he watched them getting ready to go.

"Hey, be careful tonight, Man," Jeff muttered when Adam came over to him.

Adam laughed a little. "Yeah, well... I'll be fine," he replied casually. "With all these guys around, I highly doubt anything will happen."

Jeff shrugged, breathing some smoke out of his nose as he flicked some ashes to the ground. "True, but this is Shane we're talking about."

"Yeah... Crazy bastard." Adam sighed. "You be careful too."

"Hey, don't worry about me," Jeff said with a slight smile. "I'll be just fine."

Matt closed the trunk of Drew's car once John put his bag in, and he sighed as he looked over at Jeff and Adam as they talked to each other by the front door of the hotel. He shook his head a little when he saw that they were laughing about something, but then his eyes narrowed when he saw a familiar black car sitting not too far from where they were standing. He watched as the driver's window was rolled down a little, and he gasped quietly when he saw the barrel of a gun stick out, aimed directly at his brother and friend.

"Look out!" Matt shouted, starting to run toward the hotel.

Adam and Jeff both quickly looked up at the sound of his anxious warning while Jay, Drew, John, Taryn, and Phil watched with confused as the older Hardy continued to run toward the building. But before anyone could do anything more, the gun aimed at the two men went off as the first shot echoed in the evening air around them.

**Author's Note**: As I said, expect more cliffhangers, lol! I hope you liked this chapter! A lot of unanswered questions here. But thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey, guys! Glad you all liked the last chapter. Unfortunately, the cliffhangers aren't going to stop for a while, lol. But, let's move on! Thanks to **vampiregirl2009**, **x0allisonqt0x**, **myers1978**, **Vampirebaby13** (welcome aboard! Glad you're liking it!), **ThePinkyPop**, and **elliexhardy** for your reviews! They mean a lot. So, here's the next chapter! Who got shot? We're about to find out.

_Chapter 5_

The first few rapid shots fired from that gun shattered the window next to the front door, the small shards of glass raining down on Jeff and Adam as they dove to the concrete. They covered their heads in an attempt to protect themselves, scrambling to try to find cover as more shots rang out around them. Taryn screamed and covered her mouth with horror, Drew pushing her behind their car so she could be covered from any stray shots. Matt continued to run toward the hotel, and Jay, who was just as worried about his best friend, was right with him, Phil, John, and Drew not far behind.

Adam and Jeff finally found a spot between the wall of the hotel and a bush to take cover, their breathing hard as they heard more shots echo around them as bullets hit the wall close to them. "What the hell..." the younger Hardy muttered while Adam closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the building.

Finally, the gunshots stopped, and both men watched as the black car slowly inched forward. They saw the cruel smirk of Shane McMahon before the window rolled up, and the car sped out of the parking lot.

Then, Matt and Jay approached the spot where they were hiding, worry evident on both of their faces as they tried to catch their breath. "Are you guys okay?" the older Hardy asked.

"Yeah, we're fine," Jeff answered before turning to look at the man sitting next to him. His eyes narrowed slightly in concern when he saw that his face had grown a shade paler. "Adam?"

After a moment, Adam laughed a little. "I don't think I'll be able to make the house show tonight," he muttered.

"Why is that?" Jay crouched down next to his best friend as John, Drew, and Phil approached them, noticing that his hands were firmly resting on his stomach.

Adam looked up at Jay, wincing slightly as he slowly lifted his hands. His shirt and palms were stained with blood.

* * *

Matt and Jay brought Adam to Drew's rental car, and the Scotsman drove them to the hospital as fast as he could while Jeff and Phil stayed behind. They got the bleeding man in to see a doctor almost immediately, and Jay went with him while Matt and Drew stayed in the waiting room for any news on their friend.

Fortunately for Adam, the bullet had only skimmed his stomach, but it had gone deep enough to require a few stitches. Jay stayed with him for the few minutes it took, and he was released from the hospital shortly after, though he was strongly encouraged not to wrestle that night.

"Jay, don't be silly. You can still go to the house show," Adam said after his best friend walked him back to their hotel room. "All I'm going to do is get in bed and rest up. Promise."

"Are you sure?" Jay asked, still hesitant.

Adam rolled his eyes and smiled. "Yes, Jay," he answered, beginning to push him toward the door. "All I needed was a few stitches, I think I'll survive. And if I need anything, Jeff and Matt are a couple rooms away. Feel better?"

"Well-!"

"Have fun at the show, Jay." Adam nudged him out into the hall and closed the door behind him. As promised, he shut the light off and climbed into his bed, not taking too long for him to fall asleep.

Jay sighed as he began to walk down the hall, passing Matt's room. The older Hardy had decided to stay at the hotel after Shane had opened fire on Jeff and Adam so he could keep his eye on his brother, and he didn't blame him. He wished he could do the same.

But then, he paused when he heard what sounded like the end of a conversation since the door was open a crack.

"I'll give you whatever you want... Okay. When should I bring... All right. I'll be there."

Jay's eyes narrowed slightly, not knowing who Matt had been what sounded like making a deal with, but he wasn't going to ask since it wasn't any of his business. Instead, he continued walking, hoping that the house show would go by quickly.

* * *

After Phil left for the house show, Maria brought Lexie down to the lobby since the playful eight-month-old was quickly growing bored of their hotel room. She smiled when she saw a familiar face stopping to look at the window that was being repaired before heading toward the cafe.

"Hey, Jeff!" she called, speeding up her pace a bit. "Wait up!"

Jeff stopped when he heard his name, and he smiled when she approached him. "Hey, Maria," he said. "I was just going to grab some coffee. Would you two lovely ladies like to join me?"

Maria returned the smile while Lexie cooed from her arms. "Sure, Jeff," she replied. "Sounds great."

The three found a table near the back of the cafe once they ordered their coffee and got a small container of pudding for Lexie. Jeff smiled as he watched Maria trying to hold the wriggling girl on her lap with one arm and feed her with the other, having little success.

"Would it be easier if I fed her?" he wondered, chuckling a little when some of the pudding smeared across Lexie's cheek.

Maria sighed, wiping up the mess with a napkin. "Would you?" she wondered while her daughter giggled.

"Sure." Jeff scooted his chair a bit closer, taking the spoon from Maria and getting some pudding. "Here, Lexie. Vanilla's my favorite. It's really yummy."

Lexie looked up at Jeff curiously, laughing when he crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue at her. The younger Hardy took the opportunity to get some pudding into her wide open mouth, smiling when she made a happy sound and reached toward the container.

"Mmm..."

"Was that good? Here, have some more." Jeff got another small spoonful and fed it to her.

Maria smiled as she watched the man she considered to be one of her closest friends interact with her daughter, laughing a little when Lexie giggled at another one of his funny faces. "So, are you and Adam okay?" she asked quietly. "I didn't get to see him after he came back from the hospital."

Jeff sighed as Lexie took another spoonful of pudding. "Yeah, Adam's fine. He just needed a few stitches," he answered. "I wasn't hit."

"That's good, I'm glad." Maria lowered her gaze, running her fingers absently through Lexie's darkening hair. "I guess Shane really is after you two..."

"Yeah... In a way, I'm kinda glad."

Maria quickly looked up at Jeff. "Why?" she wondered. "How can you be glad about that?"

Jeff raised his green orbs to meet her gaze. "Because then he's not going after everyone else," he told her quietly. "Adam and I can take care of ourselves. I'd rather him target just us than put everyone else at risk."

A thin line of tears formed in Maria's eyes, and she sniffed as she quickly tried to blink them away. Jeff sighed, reaching forward and placing his hand on her arm in a comforting way. Sensing that something was wrong, Lexie whimpered as she leaned back against Maria, burying her face in her chest.

"It's okay, Lexie," Maria whispered, kissing her head.

Jeff sighed as he watched both of them, taking a cautious sip of his still hot coffee. He knew that Maria's main concern was keeping Lexie safe, and he was going to make sure she was. Shane would not get close to that little girl.

Then, he blinked and was brought out of his thoughts when one of Lexie's tiny hands wrapped around his hair and pulled. "Ow..." Jeff muttered, setting his coffee aside while the girl giggled.

"Sorry, Jeff," Maria said, pulling Lexie's hand away. "She tends to do that. Phil's been trying to get her to stop, but she hasn't listened yet."

"She along with the rest of the WWE universe," Jef joked, the comment even making Maria laugh. "That's okay. I'll live."

Maria smiled, watching as Lexie then began to reach toward her coffee cup. "Oh, no, that's not for you, sweetie," she said, moving the cup out of reach. "Jeff has your treat."

Lexie followed Maria's finger as she pointed at the man sitting next to them, opening her mouth expectantly when she saw the pudding container. Jeff smiled, giving her a small spoonful.

Then, he gasped quietly when he saw someone standing outside the window behind Maria, and he quickly looked up. But by the time his gaze rested on the spot, the person was gone.

"What?" Maria asked, looking over her shoulder to see what he was looking at but saw nothing.

Jeff continued to stare at the window, and though he hadn't seen the person, he had not doubt in his mind who it was. And that meant that whoever he was seen around could be put in danger... "I'm going to go," he muttered, quickly standing up and grabbing his coffee. "Sorry I can't stay, Maria. Thanks for joining me."

"Wait! Jeff, what's going on?" Maria watched him hurry out of the cafe with confusion while Lexie giggled, sighing as she turned back to the window. What had he seen that unnerved him so much?

* * *

Adam groggily opened his eyes and wearily looked around the dark room. He had no idea what time it was, but since the other bed in the room was still empty, Jay must have still been at the house show. He slowly sat up, wincing slightly when the stitches in his stomach itched a bit when he moved, but he refrained from touching them. He ran his hand through his hair and softly cried out in frustration when the annoying feeling wouldn't go away.

Then, Adam decided to go down to the lobby to get something to drink from the vending machine in the lobby to take his mind off of the stitches. He got out of bed and grabbed some change out of his bag before leaving the room, sticking his copy of the room key in his pocket. He went down the flight of stairs and crossed the room to the vending machine, getting a bottled water. He smiled slightly when he took a long sip of the ice cold beverage, pushing open the front door to get a little bit of fresh air.

When he stepped out onto the sidewalk, he saw that a taxi was parked on the street in front of the hotel. Then, Adam's eyes narrowed in confusion when he saw that Matt Hardy was walking toward it, climbing in the back before the taxi drove off. "Where the hell is he going?" he muttered to himself. Then, he shrugged, knowing that it really didn't matter as he took another sip of water before turning to go back into the hotel.

Suddenly, Adam cried out with surprise when a strong arm wrapped around him from behind, his water bottle dropping from his hand as a cloth was placed firmly over his mouth and nose. He grabbed onto the arm to try to force the hand away, realizing too late that the cloth contained chloroform.

"Don't fight it," a familiar voice told him quietly as Adam continued to struggle in the man's hold. "This will be much easier on you if you don't fight it."

But Adam continued to fight anyway, though he was having little success. He knew the man's voice but for the life of him couldn't place it. Soon, his frantic movements slowed as hie vision began to blur, feeling weaker as he slumped in his attacker's arms.

"There," the man muttered, laying Adam on the sidewalk while he made sure to keep the cloth in place. "It'll all be over soon."

Adam looked up at the man, struggling to try to see his face as he was still forced to breathe in the chloroform. But his vision was too blurry, and he was unable to resist the drug's effects any longer as the darkness pulling at him finally claimed him.

**Author's Note**: So that's it for that one! Poor Edge... But, we'll see what happens! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: So, since I left you guys off with an evil cliffhanger, I thought I'd update again! This chapter is going to be longer, so that'll be good, right? Warning, it has also been dubbed by my friend **Twisted Skittle** and myself as the "poor Christian" chapter, so be prepared for that. Much thanks to **vampiregirl2009**, **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, **elliexhardy**, **x0allisonqt0x**, **Vampirebaby13**, and **ThePinkyPop** for your reviews! They mean a lot, guys. So, okay, I won't keep you any longer from this chapter. Enjoy!

_Chapter 6_

Jay walked through the hotel lobby with John, talking and laughing with him about the show that night. Overall, both men felt that it had been a success.

"Hey, it was fun working the match with you tonight, Man," Jay said when the got to his and Adam's room, taking out his key.

"Yeah, I thought so too," John replied with a smile. "It went well, I think."

"I agree. Well, good night."

"Good night."

Jay pushed open the door to the room while John continued walking to his, setting the card key down and walking inside. He paused with confusion when he saw that Adam wasn't there.

"That's strange..." Jay tossed his light jacket onto his own bed, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. A bad felling had started to grow in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't ignore. He sat down, finding his best friend's number and calling it, waiting as it rang. When it got to his voicemail, he sighed and ended the call, setting the phone aside.

But then, Jay looked down when his phone immediately began to ring. He quickly picked it up, squinting a bit in the light coming from the screen to see who was calling.

It was Adam.

* * *

Adam's eyes slowly fluttered open when he felt a cool breeze on his face, and he groaned and closed his eyes again when his head throbbed painfully. He wasn't sure where he was as he fought the urge to be sick, but judging by the hard gravel beneath him, he was outside.

"Good to see you're awake."

At the sudden voice, Adam quickly looked up, immediately regretting the action when his head began to pound and his nausea became more potent.

"Don't try to move. I'm sure the effects of the chloroform haven't completely worn off yet."

Adam opened his eyes again, watching as Shane McMahon knelt down next to him. He tried to sit up, but he grew anxious when he saw that his hands were tied together in front of him, making his already slower movements a bit more difficult.

Shane laughed a little. "Oh, sorry about that," he said, watching with amusement as Adam clumsily tried to get his hands untied. "Can't have you getting away now, can I?"

After a few more minutes of struggling with the rope that bound his hands, Adam sighed and laid his head back on the ground, looking up at the night sky above him. "Where am I?" he wondered.

Shane smiled. "Take a look around," he replied. "I'm sure you'll recognize it. I had to find the perfect place to set this up."

Adam slowly raised his head and turned onto his side to try to get an idea of where he was, but he gasped when he saw that he was lying on the edge of a hole that was roughly coffin size. Then, as he looked around, his eyes widened in horror when he saw that he was on a hill that overlooked a lake, ruins scattered everywhere around him.

He was at the site of the bombed hotel.

"Perfect, yes?" Shane laughed a little when he saw the fearful recognition in Adam's eyes. "I honestly don't think I could have picked a better spot."

"You son of a bitch," Adam whispered angrily as he turned onto his back to glare up at him.

Shane's face darkened as he got to his feet, and Adam didn't have the chance to get his arms up in time before the younger McMahon's foot came heavily down on his stomach, leaving the other man coughing hand gasping for breath. "Anything else you would like to say, Adam?"

Before Adam could stop his coughing enough to tell Shane where he would like to see him go, they both heard his phone begin to ring.

"Hmm. Let's see who's calling you." Shane crouched down and reached into Adam's pocket, pulling out his cell phone and looking at the name flashing on the screen. "How nice. It's Jay."

Adam glared up at Shane as he let the phone ring until it got to his voicemail. "Too bad we missed the call," Shane said. Then, he looked down at the phone thoughtfully, a glint appearing in his eye that the other man couldn't quite read. "You know what? Let's call him back. You want your best friend to be the last person you talk to, right?"

The Rated R Superstar didn't say anything, only able to watch helplessly as Shane put his phone on speaker and called the number back. He looked at it intently, almost wishing the other man wouldn't pick up as it rang. If Shane was going to kill him like he claimed, he didn't want Jay to have to hear it.

But to his dismay, the call was answered after the second ring. _"Adam?"_

Adam sighed, his eyes moving to Shane to see what he should do. The younger McMahon gestured to the phone, and he moved his gaze back to it. "I'm here, Jay," he said hesitantly.

The relief Jay felt at hearing his best friend's voice was almost heard. _"Are you all right?" _he asked. _"Where are you?"_

"I..." Adam's sentence trailed off when he got a warning look from Shane. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine."

There was a long pause on the other end, and Adam instantly knew Jay knew something was wrong. _"Adam, what's going on?"_

"Jay-!"

"Don't worry, Jay, Adam is just fine," Shane interrupted, a cruel smirk on his face. "For now, that is."

There was another long but shocked silence from the other end. _"Shane?" _Then, Jay's shock quickly turned to anger. _"You lay one hand on him, and I'll-!"_

"You'll what, Jay?" Shane said. "You make threats that are no good because you can do _nothing_!" Adam winced a little when his voice suddenly rose, a crazed glint in his eyes as he continued. "Adam's life is in my hands now, and there isn't anything you can do to help him!"

_"Please don't do this, Shane." _ Jay's tone was now faltering, though he tried to be confident. _"Please... I know you want to get back at me. Kill me, not Adam. Shane..."_

Shane laughed at the other man's pleading. "How touching," he told him. "But if I killed you, then you wouldn't learn."

_"Shane, please..."_

But the younger McMahon ignored Jay as he turned to look at Adam, who was looking at the phone sadly as his best friend pleaded for his life. He reached forward, smirking cruelly as he grabbed onto his long blond hair and roughly pulled his head up so it was closer to the phone. Adam held back a grunt of pain so Jay wouldn't have to hear it.

"Tell him, Adam," Shane muttered, his eyes gleaming. "Tell him it's all his fault you're here."

Adam glared up at Shane, trying to ignore the dizziness he felt. He wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. "No," he told him quietly but firmly.

Shane's eyes narrowed as he shoved him back to the ground, and Adam couldn't hold back a cry of pain when the younger McMahon's foot connected with the side of his head.

_"Adam!" _Jay shouted with worry.

"This is the last time you will talk to him, Jay, so say anything you want while you have the chance," Shane told him as he knelt next to Adam again. He watched as the other man blinked repeatedly to try to hold on to his consciousness.

_"Shane, please..." _Defeat was now in Jay's broken tone. _"Don't kill Adam..."_

"Last chance, Jay." Then, Shane smiled slightly when he saw a simple black necklace with a couple of white beads and a guitar pendant on it around Adam's neck. "That's a nice necklace there, Adam."

At this, Adam suddenly became more defensive as he pushed himself away from Shane a little. It had been a gift from his best friend. "Don't touch it," he muttered.

Shane smirked. "Did Jay give it to you?"

Adam didn't respond, but his actions spoke for him. Shane reached forward, and the two men got in a small scuffle. But it was difficult for Adam to fight back with his hands tied, and Shane soon ripped the necklace from his neck.

_"Are you okay, Adam?" _Jay asked anxiously when he heard the sounds of the scuffle stop.

Taking a moment to try to catch his breath, Adam was about to reply, but Shane put his foot down on his chest, forcing him to lie back down on the ground with his head hanging over the hole. He only laughed as he watched the Rated R Superstar try to push his foot away without success.

"Say goodbye to your best friend, Adam."

Adam quickly looked up at the phone Shane was holding. "Jay-!"

But before he could say anything else, Shane tossed his necklace to the ground beside him and pushed the other man into the hole with his foot. Adam winced when he lanced hard on his side, looking around at the coffin-shaped earth walls nervously. It eerily reminded him of the nightmare he had...

Then, he gasped with fear when a large amount of dirt began to fall toward him, his scream muffled was he began to get completely buried.

* * *

"Adam!" Jay shouted anxiously into his phone as he began to pace the dark room. "Adam, are you-!"

_"It has started, Jay."_

Jay stopped walking when he heard Shane's cruel tone. "What do you mean?"

Shane laughed a little. _"Time is not on your side. The longer you take, the less chance you have of saving Adam."_

"What are you doing to him?" Jay demanded, his anxiety rising.

_"Tell me something, Jay." _There was something about the sudden lightness in his tone that he didn't like. _"Have you ever wondered how terrifying it must be to be buried alive?"_

Dread flooded through Jay at the question, his heartbeat starting to echo loudly in his ears. "Go to hell, you son of a-!"

_"Thirty minutes," _Shane interrupted him. _"That is how long it will take for the hole to fill completely and crush Adam's lungs. Best of luck, Jay."_

"Wait!" Jay shouted, his mind racing along with his heart. "You need to give me something to go by. Wouldn't that be more fun, Shane? Give me a chance." He was desperate for any clue that would lead him to his best friend so that he could save Adam.

There was a long silence on the other end, and for a minute, Jay thought that he had already hung up. _"Fine,"_ Shane finally said. _"To find him, you need to backtrack. Thirty minutes, Jay. That's all the time you have. Good luck. You're going to need it."_ Then, he ended the call.

"Shane!" But Jay knew he was too late. All he had was the younger McMahon's words to find Adam before he suffocated to death.

Cursing heatedly under his breath, Jay put his phone in his pocket and threw his light jacket back on, knowing he only had a limited amount of time to find the other man. He ran out of the room, stopping only when he crashed into Jeff, who had been in the hallway.

"Jay, Man, what's going on?" Jeff asked, startled when he saw his anxious expression. "Are you-!"

"Shane has Adam, Jeff," Jay quickly interrupted, quickly looking up and down the hallway.

"What?" Jeff stared at the other man with horror, not sure if he heard him correctly.

Jay took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down. He knew that he would need to keep a level head if he wanted to reach his best friend in time. "Shane took Adam," he explained a bit slower. "I only have thirty minutes to find him, or else..." He found that he couldn't finish his sentence since the thought was too painful.

Jeff's face darkened with concern as he placed his hand on Jay's shoulder, knowing what would happen if they didn't find him in that amount of time. "I'll go with you, Man," he muttered. "We could find him easier with both of us."

The other man smiled, but before he could say anything, they heard another door open as someone else entered the hallway. "What's going on?" John asked as he stifled a yawn, having heard the commotion.

Jeff glanced at Jay, seeing that his face was still pale and his jaw was set firmly. "Shane has Adam," he finally spoke up for him. "We only have a half hour to find him."

The fear was clearly seen on John's face. "I'll do whatever I can to help..."

"Thanks, Man," Jay told him. "But we'll need a car."

"Okay. Ria _just_ got Lexie back to sleep. If you guys wake her..."

Jay, John, and Jeff turned to look at the new, slightly irritated voice, seeing that Phil was leaning against the doorway of his and Maria's room, glaring at them. "I don't know what you guys are doing out here," he continued, "but keep it dow-!"

"I'm sorry, Phil," Jay said, cutting him off. "It's my fault. But Shane called, and-!"

"Shane?" The anger disappeared from Phil's face, and he quickly glanced into his room before shutting the door. "What did he say?"

Jay sighed heavily, unsure of how many more times he could say it. "He has Adam," he told him quietly, his tone starting to break. "If we don't find him in a half hour... he's going to die. But I no longer have a rental car, so..."

Phil exchanged a terrified look with John since neither of them had heard that part of Shane's threat while Jeff placed his hand on Jay's shoulder. "Yeah, of course," the Straightedge Superstar finally muttered. "Give me a minute... We'll take my car."

"Thank you, Phil..."

Smiling slightly, Phil went back into his room and shut the door. He came back out a couple minutes later, putting on a light jacket. "Had to tell Ria where we're going," he muttered. "Let's go."

The four men hurriedly left the hotel, crossing the parking lot to get to Phil's car. "So, where are we headed?" Phil wondered, taking his keys out of his pocket.

"GIve me the keys," Jay muttered quickly.

Feeling as though he was in no position to argue even though it was his car, Phil gave Jay the keys, watching as he immediately climbed into the driver's seat. He sighed, getting into the backseat behind him with John while Jeff got in the passenger's seat.

"So, do you have any idea where we're going?" Jeff asked, hardly having any time to put his seatbelt on before Jay started the car and sped out of the parking lot.

Jay didn't say anything for a long moment as he took off down the dark street, looking around intently. They had already wasted about ten of their thirty minutes getting their group together. "Shane only told me one thing," he finally answered quietly, not taking his eyes off the road ahead of them. "To find Adam, we have to backtrack."

"Backtrack?" John leaned forward a little bit. "Not very helpful."

Phil thought about the hint they had been given carefully before he leaned forward too. "Maybe he means the arena?" he suggested. "After all, that was where the first incident happened."

Jay nodded. "It's a good place to start," he muttered, quickly turning onto the street that would bring them to the arena.

By the time they got there, another five minutes had gone by, and Jay quickly parked before all four of them climbed out. Phil, John, and Jeff began to head toward the doors while Jay stayed behind a bit, looking around at the parking lot.

"He wouldn't be inside," he called after them, starting to head to the corner of the building to walk around it.

Sighing, Phil turned to watch him. "Jay, you have to give us more information," he said. "Is there anything else Shane told you that would give us an idea of how to find Adam?"

Jay stopped, taking a deep breath as he turned back to look at them. "Shane's burying Adam alive," he told them, his voice breaking. "He'd have to be outside somewhere..."

"Oh, my God..." John muttered, horrified by the thought while Phil stared at Jay in shock.

Jeff thought about what was happening to their missing friend, wondering where Shane could have brought Adam with what the younger McMahon had given them. Then, his green eyes widened when realization dawned on him. "He's not here."

John looked at him. "You have an idea where Adam could be?" he asked.

"Yeah," Jeff answered, seeing that he had Jay's complete attention as he turned to look at something in the distance. "We didn't backtrack far enough."

Jay followed his gaze to see what he was looking at, knowing immediately what the younger Hardy was referring to. It made much more sense... "Shit," he muttered to himself, running back to the car with Jeff close behind. John and Phil exchanged confused looks before quickly following after them.

"Where are we going?" Phil asked, barely getting in the backseat and shutting the door before Jay started driving.

Jay didn't say anything for a long moment, seeing that they had about ten minutes to get to where he knew Adam was. He sped down the dark street, Jeff tense beside him, going as quickly as he dared. "We're going back to the bombed hotel," he answered so quietly the others could barely hear it, but the words caused a sense of dread to fill the car.

Jeff glanced over at Jay while he drove, his hands clenched so tightly on the steering wheel that his knuckles were white and his intense gaze not straying from the road ahead. He sighed quietly and looked out his window, the buildings a blur as they sped past them. Jay's best friend, his brother, was in danger. He figured it would be the same if their roles were switched and Jay was the one in danger. But he had to wonder if it would be the same if he was in Adam's place and Matt had to find him while time worked against them.

It was a thought that also made his heart ache.

When they pulled up to the site of the bombed hotel, they only had a couple minutes remaining before the half hour was up. Refusing to give up on his best friend, Jay turned off the car and immediately climbed out, but he paused when he saw someone standing on top of the hill with a gym bag, looking at something in their hand. At first, he thought it was Shane, but when he looked closer, he saw that it was Matt Hardy.

Then, Jay's heart nearly stopped when he saw that the other man was standing at the edge of what looked like a coffin-shaped, freshly buried hole... "No," he whispered before running toward it.

Matt quickly looked up when he heard the hurried footsteps, watching with confusion as Jay knelt down next to him and began to frantically dig up the hole by hand. "Jay, what..."

"No... no... Adam..." Jay continued to dig, ignoring the older Hardy. He couldn't be too late. Adam had to be alive...

Then, Matt watched as Jeff, John, and Phil got to the top of the hill, pausing when they saw the scene in front of them. The younger Hardy glanced at him for a second before going over to Jay, his face saddening as he put his hands on his shoulders in a restraining way. "We're too late," he muttered, his own tone faltering as he looked at the now-filled hole. "Jay... I'm sorry, Man. He couldn't have survived this. We're too late..."

But Jay shook his head, refusing to believe that Adam was dead. "No, Jeff," he said so quietly that it came out as hardly more than a whisper, but Jeff could still hear the tears in his tone. "We can't be..." He still tried to dig up some dirt, but Jeff kept the restraining hold on him, and he finally slumped back in defeat.

"I'm sorry," Jeff repeated, staring at the hole in shock. He couldn't believe that one of his best friends was dead.

Suddenly, Jay cried out, the sound an even blend of rage and terrible pain, as he slammed his fists down on the ground. Jeff's hands tightened on his shoulders, this time in a comforting way, but he ignored them. Shane had taken away not only his best friend, but also the man he considered to be his brother, because of him. And for that, he was going to wring Shane's neck.

Matt watched as John and Phil hesitantly approached Jeff and Jay, also looking at the filled hole sadly. "What..." he began to ask, but his question slowly trailed off when Jay looked up at him through sorrow-filled eyes.

Then, Jay's gaze landed on what Matt was holding in his hand, and his eyes narrowed when he saw that it was a simple black necklace with a couple white beads and a guitar pendant on it. It had been his gift to Adam when he had returned to the WWE after his Achilles tendon injury.

Suddenly, Jay remembered the end of the conversation he had heard the older Hardy having as he made a deal with someone he didn't know. _"I'll give you whatever you want..."_ His eyes widened as he looked at Matt with both shock and anger when it suddenly made sense to him.

"How could you?"

"What do you mean?" Matt asked, confused by the sudden hostility in his friend's tone.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Jay answered, slowly rising to his feet. "That deal you made with Shane. How could you?"

This time, shock was on Matt's face as he shook his head in disbelief. "Jay, Man... it's not that big of a deal," he muttered. "No one was even supposed to know... I just-!"

His sentence was cut off when Jay suddenly lunged at him, rage burning in his eyes as he shoved the older Hardy roughly and made him drop the bag. "You gave up Adam!" he shouted, landing a couple punches before John and Jeff grabbed onto him to restrain him though he tried to fight out of their hold. "Because of you, Adam is _dead_, Matt!"

Matt stumbled back a little form the couple times Jay punched him, being stopped from retaliating by Phil putting his hand on his shoulder in restraining way. "Adam..." he muttered, looking down at the necklace he still had in his hand for a second before turning to the filled hole next to him.

Jay struggled in the arms of John and Jeff for a few more minutes before he finally stopped, taking a couple deep breaths to calm himself down. He looked at the bag that Matt had dropped, seeing that it was filled with money.

"How much did Shane pay you for Adam's life?" Though his voice was now calm and quiet, Jay's tone cracked a little.

Sighing heavily, Matt looked at the other man with sorry. "Jay, please..."

"You know what? It doesn't matter." Jay walked forward and took the necklace from Matt, looking directly into his eyes. Jeff, John, and Phil watched them carefully, making sure that another fight didn't break out. "I hope you enjoy your blood money."

Matt was only able to watch as Jay turned and walked away from the site without another word, opening the back door of the car and climbing in. Phil sighed, glancing at Matt before following him and getting in behind the wheel while John got in the passenger seat.

Jeff stayed for a moment longer, his gaze resting on the hole before he slowly turned to look at his brother. "You'd better not have done this for me," he whispered, his tone laced with sorrow and betrayal.

"Please, Jeff," Matt muttered. "This isn't what it looks like. I didn't know Adam... I just wanted to keep you safe..."

The younger Hardy only stared at his brother in disbelief before slowly walking to the car and climbing in the backseat with Jay. Phil then started the car, and they turned around before driving out of sight.

Matt watched the car until he could no longer see it before he turned back to the coffin-shaped hole that had been filled. He dropped down to his knees next to it, reaching out with a shaking hand and digging up a handful of dirt. He let it slip between his fingers, imagining Adam buried in it, cold and lifeless. His shoulders started to shake as sobs shook his body, and Matt allowed the tears to roll freely down his cheek as he dropped the rest of the dirt.

"Adam... I'm so sorry."

**Author's Note**: Poor Christian chapter... All I can say in my defense here is there to expect anything. There are plenty of twists and turns left to come. Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey, guys! Yep, I got the reaction I was expecting with the last chapter. My only defense, once again, is to expect anything with this story. Thank you so much to **vampiregirl2009**, **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, **elliexhardy**, **Vampirebaby13**, **x0allisonqt0x**, **ThePinkyPop**, and **myers1978** for your reviews! Let's see what happens next, shall we?

_Chapter 7_

The car ride was silent as Phil drove back to the hotel. Jay spent the entire time staring blankly out the window, and no one even attempted to talk to him since they knew it would do no good and they were also shocked by Adam's death. Shane was winning.

As soon as the Straightedge Superstar found a place to park, Jay got out of the car and started walking to the hotel without looking back. Sighing, Phil shut the car off and got out, following the other man with Jeff and John. They entered the lobby, seeing that Drew and Taryn were waiting for them.

"Maria told us what was happening," the Scotsman said as they approached them. "Are you guys okay?"

Jay walked right past them without a word, heading straight upstairs. Taryn watched him with concern before turning back to the other three men. "What happened?" she asked quietly, her gaze resting on Phil since he was closest.

Phil stopped in front of them, sighing heavily as he looked at the couple sadly. "Adam's dead," he murmured, still not believing the words as they left his mouth. It didn't seem possible.

Taryn covered her mouth as a thin line of tears formed in her eyes. "Oh, my God..."

Drew wrapped his arms around his wife and held her close. "What happened?"

"Shane buried him alive," John explained heavily. "We had thirty minutes to get to him before he suffocated, and we didn't make it."

"God, that's terrible," Taryn whispered, clinging to Drew tightly.

Phil nodded in agreement. "Well, he's not going to get away with it, that's for sure," he said, a threat woven into his tone.

Then, Taryn turned to look at the younger Hardy, who was standing by the window and staring blankly out into the night. "Jeff?"

"I'm fine, Taryn," Jeff muttered, glancing at her for a second before turning to look back out the window. Not only could he not believe that Adam was dead, but he also couldn't believe that Matt, his own flesh and blood, were partly responsible for his friend's death...

Sighing, he placed his forehead on his arm as he leaned against the window, closing his eyes as he fought back the tears that were burning in them. With Matt making deals with Shane, he had one question on his mind.

What was going to happen to him now?

* * *

If only he had gotten there sooner...

Jay entered the dark hotel room that he had been sharing with Adam, not even bothering to turn the lights on as he walked to his bed and tossed his light jacket onto it. He walked into the bathroom, turning on that light as he looked at his worn down reflection in the mirror.

... he would have been able to save his best friend...

He turned on the sink and set Adam's necklace on the counter next to it, simply watching the water run for a moment that could have stretched on forever before splashing some on his face. The coldness almost felt like a slap to Jay, and he turned off the water before reaching for a towel.

When he lowered it, Jay gasped when he saw Adam's face in the mirror looking back at him with a smile. He slowly reached forward, but as soon as his fingertips touched the cool glass, his best friend's image vanished, leaving behind his own scared, defeated expression.

Adam was gone.

Jay dropped the towel as he put his head in his hands, a loud sob escaping from him. His entire body beginning to tremble, he slowly sank to the floor, tears streaming freely from his eyes. Because of him, the man he considered to be his brother was dead...

"Adam..." he whispered between his tears. "I'm so sorry."

* * *

Matt entered the hotel lobby, almost in a daze. He didn't have anything with him as he slowly made his way up the stairs since he had left the bag of money at the site of the bombed hotel. He still couldn't believe that Adam was actually dead...

He reached his room and was about to unlock it, but he paused and looked over his shoulder at a room across the hall. He had to talk to someone, he realized. Sighing, Matt crossed the hall and knocked quietly on the door, hoping that someone would answer.

After a moment, the door opened, revealing a tired Maria. "Matt?" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "If you want, I can let Phil know you're here..."

"No, Maria." Matt reached out and gently grabbed her wrist. "It'd be best if he didn't know I was here. It's you I want to talk to. I need someone I can trust."

Maria looked at him for a minute before she sighed, stepping out into the hallway and shutting the door so it was only open a crack. "What's going on, Matt?" she wondered, concern clear on her face.

Matt nervously ran his hand through his dark curls. "People think I'm partly responsible for Adam's death," he told her quietly. "But I didn't-!"

"What?" Shock quickly replaced Maria's look of concern. "Matt, wh-!"

"Shh." Matt nervously looked at the cracked open door behind her, hoping that Phil hadn't heard her exclamation. "Please, just let me explain." When Maria nodded, he sighed before he continued. "I admit, I tried to make a deal with Shane to try to keep Jeff safe. I offered him some money so he would stay away from him. Adam never even entered the conversation.

"But... Shane set me up. He told me to meet him at the site of the bombed hotel, so I took a taxi to get the money and go out there. When I did, Shane was nowhere to be seen, and I found a necklace next to this freshly buried hole. How was I supposed to know that... it belonged to Adam, and... he was buried in it?"

The older Hardy stopped for a moment, his voice getting choked up by the tears forming in his dark eyes. "When Jay and the others got there, he started to try to dig up the hole," he finished quietly, taking a deep breath as he blinked his tears away. "He said... I had made a deal with Shane to give him Adam in return for Jeff's life... But I didn't... I had no idea... Maria, please... You have to believe me."

Maria watched as Matt struggled to hold back more tears. Jay's accusations where what Phil told her had happened when he got back. But even then, she couldn't truly believe that Matt would be responsible for Adam's death. "It's okay, Matt," she said in a voice hardly above a whisper. "I believe you."

"You do?" Matt asked her with surprise, trying not to get his hopes up.

"Yes," Maria answered with a small smile.

Matt sighed with relief before he wrapped her up in a tight hug. "Thank you so much, Maria."

Maria sighed too, wrapping her arms around him as a thin line of tears formed in her eyes. "Get some rest, Matt. You need it," she muttered. "Tomorrow's another day, and maybe we can talk some more sense into Jay. Right now is just a really rough time for him."

"I know." Matt released Maria and smiled down at her. "Thanks again, Maria. I really appreciate it. Good night."

"Sure, Matt. Good night." Maria watched as Matt crossed the hall and entered his own room, shutting the door behind him. Hoping that she had made the right decision by believing the older Hardy, she went back inside her own room. She got back into bed beside Phil, who was holding their sleeping daughter, and snuggled up next to him, his slowly, even breathing making the conversation leave her mind as the nearly silent sound lulled her back into sleep.

* * *

Shane McMahon sat in his black car in the hotel parking lot, pulling two pictures and a permanent marker out of his glove compartment. The first one was of Adam and the second was of Jeff. He opened the permanent marker, drawing an "x" over Adam's face before setting them down on the seat next to him.

"One down, one to go."

* * *

Jeff lay awake on his bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling. The events of that night were weighing too heavily on his mind, robbing him of any sleep he would be getting that night.

Adam was dead. Shane had succeeded in killing him, and Matt, his own brother, may have been partly responsible since he had made the deal to save his life. It was still something he couldn't wrap his mind around.

Then, Jeff slowly sat up, running his hand through his hair. He remembered how determined Jay had been to reach Adam in time, how brokenhearted he now must have been knowing that he was too late. He had to wonder if Matt would do the same for him if he was in his position...

Growing restless in the small room, Jeff got out of bed and quietly entered the hallway, shutting the door behind him before going down to the dark lobby. He sat in a chair by the window, looking out into the quiet night. It was a peaceful sight.

Then, he narrowed his eyes slightly when he heard a quiet footstep behind him, and he slowly turned to look over his shoulder. His eyes widened in fear when he saw the man's grinning face.

* * *

Matt sighed as he collapsed onto his bed, grateful that at least one person he could trust believed him when he said he hadn't known Shane had taken Adam. It felt as though a great weight had been lifted off his chest.

Then, his eyes narrowed slightly when his cell phone began to ring. He sat up, reaching over to the small table next to the bed and picked it up, squinting in the sudden bright light to see the name flashing on the screen. His heart dropped when he recognized the number.

Sighing heavily, he answered the call. "What... what do you want now?"

_"Oh, nothing much," _the sadistic voice of Shane McMahon told him. _"Go get Jay. I have something for the both of you."_

Matt's brow furrowed with confusion. "Jay?" he repeated. "He won't want to talk to me after what you did-!"

_"It wasn't a question, Matt. Now go get Jay."_

Realizing he had no other option, Matt slowly got to his feet and left his room, crossing the hall to the door he knew belonged to Jay and knocked. He waited for a long moment before the door finally opened. Jay stood on the other side, his eyes dull and slightly red-rimmed.

"What do _you _want?"

"Look, Jay, I know I'm one of the last people you want to see right now, but please. I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't important," Matt told him. "Shane's on the phone."

Jay slowly shook his head. "And that's supposed to mean what to me?" he asked.

Before Matt could say anything, Shane spoke up on the other end. _"Put the phone on speaker."_

Doing what he was told, Matt held the phone out between him and the other man so they could both hear him. _"Matt, Jay. It's time to work together to find a little something I left for you in the lobby,"_ he addressed them. _"It would be in your best interest if you want to save one life."_

"What are you talking about?" Jay asked, his nerves running a bit high.

Shane only laughed at his question. _"Find what I left, then give me a call."_ That was all that was said before he hung up.

Matt sighed as he put his phone back in his pocket, looking at Jay nervously. "So, should we head down?" he wondered.

Jay sighed as he stepped out into the hallway and shut the door behind him. "Let's just get this over with," he muttered, starting to walk down the hall toward the stairs with Matt behind him.

Once they reached the lobby, the two men split up, unsure of what they were looking for or where to even begin. Matt walked over to the window, deciding to start from there. He saw nothing by the door, but then he froze when something caught his attention on the chair by the window in the moonlight. He slowly wandered over, and his eyes widened with fear when he saw what it was.

"Jay... I found it."

"What is it?" Jay hurried over to him to see what Shane had left, and he gasped when he saw them.

On the chair were two pictures. One was of Adam and the other of Jeff, both with black "x's" over their faces.

**Author's Note**: Can't be a good omen from Shane. But, there are still a few chapters left, so anything can happen! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! Since you guys have asked, here's the next update. Thank you so much to **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, **Vampirebaby2009**, **ThePinkyPop**, **x0allisonqt0x**, and **meyers1978** for your reviews! They mean a lot to me! So, is Jeff dead? We're gonna find out! Enjoy!

_Chapter 8_

Matt slowly reached forward and picked up the two pictures, handing Jay the one of Adam before looking down at the one of his brother. He ran his fingers lightly over it, his heart sinking when he realized what it meant.

"The bastard has Jeff," he whispered, quickly pulling out his cell phone. Jay watched with concern as he dialed a number, hearing it beginning to ring since he had kept it on speaker.

Finally, the younger McMahon picked up. _"I take it you found what I left for you."_

"Where is he?" Matt demanded angrily, the intensity in his tone making Jay jump.

Shane just laughed. _"Easy, Matt,"_ he cautioned. _"You know where your rash decisions can lead you. Just like when I set you up at the bombed hotel."_

Jay looked over at Matt, a look of confusion but hope on his face. "A set up?" he asked.

_"Oh, yes, Jay. And it clearly worked very well," _Shane answered for the older Hardy. _"It made your little group start to turn against each other..."_

Matt looked at Jay as he tried to wrap his mind around what Shane was saying before he turned his attention back to the phone. "Shane, where is Jeff?"

_"The only one here who can answer that is Jay."_

The older Hardy raised his gaze back to the other man, seeing the fear in his eyes. "What are you talking about?" Jay asked. "I don't know where Jeff-!"

_"Sure you do, Jay," _Shane interrupted. _"You wouldn't find Adam here."_

Jay's eyes narrowed in confusion, but before he could ask him for more of a hint than that, the younger McMahon continued. _"You have thirty minutes before Jeff goes up in flames. Good luck."_

"Shane, wait!" Matt shouted, but he was too late when he hung up. He sighed and put the phone back in his pocket before he turned to look at Jay. "You know where Jeff is?"

"No, I don't," Jay told him honestly, his mind racing as he tried to figure out what Shane had meant. "I have no idea-!"

"He said you did." Matt's anxiety to find his missing brother was quickly rising.

"That's Shane," Jay replied. "You heard him say he's trying to turn us against each other."

For a long moment, Matt didn't say anything as his fist clenched tightly at his side. "Where is he, Jay?" he murmured.

"I told you, I don't-!"

"Where is he?"

Before Jay could even prepare himself, Matt lunged at him, the force causing both men to trip over the small wooden table that held magazines. They flew everywhere as the table fell over and both men hit the floor. There was a small scuffle, but Matt was relentless, and his hands soon found their way to Jay's neck.

* * *

Phil quietly left the room, hoping not to wake his sleeping wife and daughter as he walked into the hallway. After the events of that night, his mind was racing too much to allow for a sound sleep, and he figured that walking around a little would help to put his mind at rest.

He heard another door open, and Phil watched as John came into the hallway. "You too?" he asked, noticing that he looked just as tired as he was.

"Yeah, I can't sleep," John answered with a small yawn. "I was thinking of getting something from the vending machine downstairs."

"I'll join you. I'm not going to be sleeping for a little why."

John smiled. "Okay. Thanks."

The two men started to walk down the stairs toward the lobby, pausing when they heard a loud crash. They glanced at each other with concern before running the rest of the way down the stairs, their eyes widening in fear when they entered the lobby.

Matt and Jay were on the floor next to a small knocked over table with magazines lying everywhere, the latter's face turning red when he wasn't able to breathe since the older Hardy's hands were clamped tightly on his neck.

"Where is he?" Matt shouted.

"Stop it, Matt!" Phil quickly ran over to the struggling pair, wrapping his arms around the man from behind and trying to pull him away. "Matt, let go! He can't breathe!"

John knelt down next to Jay, trying to force Matt's hands away from his neck. "Matt, stop!"

WIth the two of them working together, they were finally able to get them separated. Phil pulled Matt toward the door while John tended to Jay, who was lying on the floor coughing forcefully as he gasped for breath. He pushed himself up on his arms, and John helped him to get into the chair behind him so he could sit more comfortably.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Jay could only nod since he was still coughing as he tried to get enough air into his lungs.

Matt continued to try to fight out of Phil's restraining hold. "Just calm down-!" the Straightedge Superstar began to say before he was elbowed in the jay by the other man. The older Hardy felt his arms loosen around him, and he took the opportunity to go for Jay again.

"Stop it!" John snapped, getting in front of Matt to keep him from reaching him. "What the hell, Matt-!"

"No, get out of my way!" Matt tried to get past John, but he was pushed back. "He knows where Jeff is!"

"I... don't..." Jay muttered through his coughing as he shook his head.

"What do you mean?" Phil approached them and pulled Matt back, forcing him to sit down in another chair. "Start from the beginning, Matt. Calmly. What happened?"

Matt didn't say anything for a long time, focusing on just calming down. Finally, he took a deep breath and nodded, though Phil and John were still ready in case he lunged for Jay again.

"Shane called and told me to get Jay," the older Hardy explained quietly. "He told us to come down here and find something he left for us. It was a picture of Adam and one of Jeff, both with x's on their faces. They're somewhere around here... We called Shane back, and he has Jeff. He said Jay knew where he was..."

Phil sighed heavily, instantly concerned about their missing friend. "Did he give any clues like he did last time?" he asked, turning to Jay.

Jay nodded. "He said we wouldn't find Adam there," he answered, his voice raspy. "I don't know what he means by that..." Then, his eyes narrowed slightly. "He also said something about setting up Matt at the bombed hotel."

"A set up?" John repeated, looking at the older Hardy.

"Yeah." Matt sighed heavily. "I made a deal with Shane to try to protect Jeff, but with money. He told me to meet him by the hotel with some amount, but by the time I got there, he was gone and the hole was filled. I had no idea that Adam was in it... Jay, you have to believe me."

Jay lowered his gaze, not able to look at Matt. He had to admit that made more sense since he didn't want to believe that the older Hardy had been partly responsible for the death of his best friend. But now, Jeff was the one that was in danger, and he didn't want another one of his friends to die.

"Shane gave us another thirty minute limit," Jay muttered, looking up at Phil and John. "We've probably wasted a good part of it getting nowhere." Matt exchanged a defeated look with Phil before lowering his gaze.

Phil sighed. "All right," he said. "John, go get Drew and Taryn. We need all the help we can get."

* * *

Jeff slowly opened his eyes, the back of his head throbbing as he tried to move. The last thing he remembered was sitting in the lobby of the hotel when Shane McMahon approached him, having a small scuffle before the younger Hardy fell back and hit his head on the windowsill. Then, everything had gone black.

As he looked around him, Jeff saw with confusion that he was lying on the floor of what appeared to be a locker room. He tried to sit up, but he gasped quietly when he found he couldn't since his hands were tied above his head to the leg of the bench.

A menacing laugh filled the locker room as Jeff tried to struggle out of it as Shane approached him. "Sorry that you hit your head. I didn't mean for that to happen," he told him, sitting on the bench next to him. "As for the rope... that was a little more necessary. Can't have you leaving this room. But, it's nothing personal, Jeff."

"Go to hell," Jeff hissed, not looking at him as he continued to try to get his hands free.

Shane smirked. "You know, you're not the first one who's told me that tonight," he muttered.

"I wonder why," Jeff snapped, still trying to pull at the ropes without success.

After a few more minutes of watching the younger Hardy try to get himself free, Shane sighed as he got to his feet and checked the time on his cell phone. "I would stick around, Jeff, but I've gotta' head out," he told him. "Things are going to get really hot really fast."

Confused, Jeff finally looked up at Shane. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Shane smirked down at him, eyes gleaming. "Don't worry," he answered. "You'll find out soon enough. Goodbye, Jeff."

Jeff watched as Shane left the locker room but left the door open, sighing as he laid back on the floor to try to get some strength back. If he wanted to get out of this building, he had to save his energy.

But then, his body tensed when a familiar scent reached him and filled his heart with fear. Jeff slowly looked up, watching with mounting dread as thick, black smoke slowly made its way into the locker room.

The building was on fire.

* * *

"We wouldn't find Adam there?" Drew asked with confusion. He was standing in the lobby with the rest of the group, except for Maria, trying to figure out where their missing friend could be. "That doesn't make much sense."

"I know," Matt muttered, his anxiety rising when he glanced at his cell phone and saw that they only had ten minutes left to find Jeff. "But we have to do something. Let's drive around to see if we can spot any clues. Shane said Jeff would... go up in flames. There has to be a fire somewhere." His heart throbbed painfully at the thought.

Phil sighed. "All right, I suppose it's better than sitting here not doing anything. Let's go. I'll take a couple people and Drew can take some."

Matt led the way out of the lobby out to the parking lot, but before they could all leave, they heard a new voice behind them.

"Phil."

The Straightedge Superstar turned around, seeing that Maria was standing on the stairs with a tired Lexie in her arm. He looked at Jay, who was standing with him, and told him to keep going before he walked over to his wife.

"What is it, Ria?"

Maria looked at her husband, sighing heavily. "Please, be careful," she whispered. "It's been over a year. I can finally close my eyes without worrying about what I'm going to see... I can't almost lose you again."

Phil sighed as he pulled his wife close, kissing her head. "I'll be fine, Ria," he told her, running his hand up and down her back. "And we will get Jeff. We're not going to let Shane get away with that."

Lexie whimpered from Maria's arm, wrapping her tiny fingers around Phil's shirt. "Da..."

"I'll be right back, Lex," Phil said with a smile, gently removing her hand and kissing it. "Take good care of Mama. Okay?"

"Da..."

Phil looked back at Maria, noticing the thin line of tears that had formed in her eyes. Sighing, he pulled her into a quick but loving kiss. "I love you," he whispered.

Maria squeezed his hand. "I love you too."

Giving her a small smile, Phil released her hand and crossed the lobby, pushing the front door open as he followed the rest of the group out to the parking lot.

Maria watched him leave, holding her daughter close as she sank down to the steps, putting her head into her hands as she began to sob.

* * *

Matt led the way over to where Phil and Drew's cars were parked, not wanting to waste any more of their already limited time. The pictures of Adam and Jeff that Shane had left for them were in his pocket, feeling as though they were weighing him down with every step he took. But he pushed through it, coming to a stop only when he was by the passenger door of Phil's car.

"Okay, you guys follow behind us," Jay told Drew as they approached the two cars. "We're bound to find something." The Scotsman nodded as he climbed into his car with Taryn and John.

Jay waited by the back door of Phil's car next to Matt, not looking at him. Finally, he sighed. "Look," he muttered. "I'm really sorry about overreacting at the old hotel. It's just..."

"I understand," Matt said, turning to look at Jay. "It's a rough time for all of us... I'm sorry too."

After a moment, Jay turned to look at the older Hardy. He slowly reached his hand out to him, and Matt smiled slightly as he shook it.

"Jay, I am really sorry about what happened to Adam."

"I know." Jay sighed heavily as his gaze faltered for a moment before being replaced with determination. "Let's not have the same thing happen to Jeff."

Matt nodded. "Thanks, Jay."

Jay didn't reply as he lowered his gaze. He wondered why Shane had said he could tell them where Jeff was when he had no idea...

Then, his eyes widened as he gasped quietly. "Of course..."

"What?" Matt asked, looking at the other man curiously.

Jay looked back at him. "I know where Jeff is," he answered. "Shane's clue makes sense to me now."

Before Matt could reply, his cell phone began to ring. Fearing the worst, Matt pulled it out of his pocket, but he was confused to see that it wasn't what he expected.

"Shane?" Jay wondered.

"No... The number's blocked," Matt muttered. But he decided to answer the call anyway in case it was important. "Hello?"

_"I know where Jeff is."_

Matt's eyes narrowed in confusion, not recognizing the man's voice. "Who is this?" he asked.

_"It doesn't matter,"_ the man answered. _"What does matter is that you get to him in time."_

"Okay... But how do I know I can trust you if I don't know who you are?" Matt pressed. Though he couldn't place the caller's voice, there were traces of his tone that were familiar, and he wanted to know that it wasn't some trick by Shane.

The man sighed. _"I'm a friend," _he told him. _"But if you spend any more time questioning me, the less chance you have of getting to Jeff."_

Matt quickly thought about his options, realizing that the man was right. "Okay, then, where is he?"

_"Your brother is in the arena where you had your house shows," _the man said. _"But you have to hurry if you want to get there in time. You have less than ten minutes before the whole place goes up in flames."_

"Thank you so much," the older Hardy muttered as Phil approached the car. "I really appreciate this."

There was a short moment of silence on the other end. _"Don't thank me, Matt. Just save Jeff." _Then, the man ended the call.

"Who was that?" Jay asked, watching as the older Hardy put his phone back in his pocket.

"I don't know," Matt answered quietly, having no idea how the man seemed to know him and Jeff and how he had gotten his number. "But he said that Jeff was in-!"

"The arena," Jay finished for him. When Matt looked at him with confusion, he sighed. "That was the first place we stopped to look for Adam. Of course, he wasn't there..."

Matt slowly nodded, feeling better about what the strange caller had told him about his brother's whereabouts since one of his friends was confirming it. "All right, let's hurry," he said. "You heard that, Phil."

"Yep," Phil muttered, unlocking the car. "Let's get to the arena."

* * *

Jeff coughed forcefully as more smoke entered his lungs, having a hard time seeing the rope ash e tried to get his hands free since his eyes were watering. He was having more difficulty getting a good grip on the rope due to the sweat, the room growing hotter as the flames began to spread into the locker room.

He was going to die, he knew that now. Jeff sighed as collapsed back to the floor, his upper body aching from trying to get his hands free. His mind wandered to Matt, and a sense of sadness filled him. He wasn't going to have the chance to apologize to him, to tell him that after all this time, he had forgiven him for what had happened...

Then, Jeff gasped quietly when he heard quick footsteps approaching over the sound of the crackling flames, the action causing him to cough again as a man with a hood over his head entered the locker room. He looked around the dense smoke, finally spotting the younger Hardy and running over to him. Jeff backed as far away from him as he could as the man knelt down next to the bench, and his eyes widened when he caught a glimpse of his face.

* * *

Matt drummed his fingers anxiously on his lap as they sped down the dark street, glancing at the glowing green numbers of the car's clock. "Hurry, Phil..." he muttered.

"I'm going as fast as I can unless you want us to end up in a ditch, Matt," Phil replied, glancing in the rear-view mirror to make sure that Drew was keeping up with them as he pressed down on the gas a little more anyway.

Jay sighed as he looked at the clock as well, knowing that their time was almost up. "We'll get there," he tried to assure the older Hardy, hoping it wasn't too late.

When they pulled into the parking lot of the arena, they saw thick, black smoke rising from the building as crackling flames covered parts of it. Matt got out of the car before Phil even came to a complete stop and hurried toward the burning building. Jay got out next and quickly followed after him, hoping to stop him from charging right in. Phil shut the car off and climbed out, sighing heavily as Drew, Taryn, and John joined him. It already looked like they were too late.

"Wait, Matt!" Jay shouted as he got closer to the older Hardy. "I think-!"

Suddenly, the deafening sound of an explosion echoed in the night around them as the entire building was consumed by flames.

**Author's Note **... And, that's it for this one! Thanks for reading, guys! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! Thanks for your reviews, guys! I'm glad you're all liking this! And though we are coming up on the end soon, there have been some revisions on these last couple chapters. There were originally going to be ten all together, but with some last minute changes, there will be eleven. Not that you guys mind, I don't think, lol. So, thanks to **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, **Renna33**, **Vampirebaby13**, **vampiregirl2009 **(sorry for combining your pen names!), **ThePinkyPop**, **x0allisonqt0x **(Girl... your mind is just about as evil as mine, lol! Thanks for the ideas!), **myers1978**, and **elliexhardy** (thanks for both chapters, girl!) for your reviews! So, let's continue!

_Chapter 9_

Matt and Jay stumbled back and fell to the concrete, the force of the explosion knocking them over as the intense heat swarmed over them. Jay winced when he landed on his right arm hard while Matt slowly sat up, looking at the flaming building in front of him with horror.

"_No_! Jeff!" The older Hardy got to his feet and began to run toward the arena.

Jay started to sit up but cringed when his arm still hurt and started to tingle as it lost a little feeling. "Matt, stop!" he called after him.

Phil and John ran past Jay and quickly caught up with Matt, grabbing onto him to stop him from getting any closer to the burning building. Jay slowly got to his feet, looking back at the couple still behind him. Taryn was wrapped in Drew's arms, both of them looking at the arena with shock.

"Let go!" Matt shouted, trying to fight out of Phil and John's arms. "I have to... Jeff!"

"You can't, Matt," Phil muttered, looking at the flaming arena with defeat. "There's no way you could get in there."

"We're too late," John added quietly, his tone reflecting the sorrow of the loss of another one of his best friends. "I'm sorry, Matt."

Matt struggled in their hold for a couple more minutes before collapsing to the ground, sobs shaking his body. "Jeff..." His little brother was gone.

Jay sighed heavily, wishing they could have gotten to the arena in time to save the younger Hardy. He began to walk toward the three men, but then he stopped with confusion when he saw two dark figures walking out of the arena from what appeared to be a side door. His eyes narrowed as he watched them slowly walk closer, gasping as his eyes widened again in disbelief when he recognized one of them.

"It's Jeff!"

Matt, Phil, and John quickly looked up, watching as the two people got closer to them. One of them truly was Jeff, leaning on a man with a hood over his head as he limped toward them. The older Hardy immediately got to his feet and ran over to them, taking his younger brother from the hooded man. Jeff's shaking legs finally gave out on him after the ordeal, and he dropped down to the hard ground.

"God, Jeff, are you okay?" Matt asked, kneeling next to him and looking him over. Other than a couple cuts on his wrists and some minor burns, he didn't appear to have any serious injuries.

Jeff looked at Matt with shock before he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug as sobs shook his shoulders. "Matt... I'm so sorry..."

"For what?" Matt asked, surprised by the sudden action as he held his little brother close. "It should be me apologizing, not you."

"I... I thought I wasn't going to get to tell you..." Jeff muttered through his tears. "I... forgive you..."

Matt tightened his arms around Jeff as he began to cry as well, the two brothers simply comforted by each other's presence. The hooded man watched them for a moment before he walked away from them, starting to head away from the burning arena.

Jay watched as the man started to cross the parking lot, wondering if he was the one who had called Matt to tell him where Jeff was. Acting on instinct, he followed after him.

"Hey," he said, grabbing his arm to stop him. "Aren't you going to stick around to let us thank you for saving our friend?"

The man didn't say anything, but he also didn't try to fight out of his hold. Then, he slowly turned to face him, and Jay released his arm when he caught a glimpse of his features under his hood in the light from the crackling flames that was familiar.

"Who are you?" Jay asked quietly.

After a long, tense moment, the man lifted his hands and slowly lowered his hood. Jay's eyes widened in shock as he stared at his face. A thin line of tears formed in his eyes as he shook his head in disbelief, unable to say anything to the man.

"Don't you dare start crying," Adam told him. "Because as soon as you do, I'm going to start."

"It can't..." Jay muttered, still not believing that his best friend, his brother, was standing in front of him after he thought he had been buried alive. "Adam..."

Adam gave him a small smile. "Yes, Jay," he replied. "I'm just fine."

Jay let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding as he wrapped his arms tightly around the other man. "How..." he began to ask, only able to get that one word out as he struggled to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.

"Shane left before the hole was completely filled, and that's when I made my escape," Adam explained, hugging him back. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you, Jay. I had to keep low so Shane continued to think I was dead. I would have told you if I could..."

"I know," Jay said, feeling a couple of tears fall despite his efforts to keep them back. "I'm just... so glad you're alive..."

"Hey, what did I say about crying, Jay?" Adam felt tears forming in his own eyes as he held the man he considered to be his brother closer.

Jay laughed quietly as he began to cry a bit more freely. "Well, you'll have to forgive me for that."

* * *

Shane pulled his car into the arena parking lot and slowly came to a stop toward the back, wanting to see Matt's response to learning that he had been too late to save his brother. He wanted to at least see one of their reactions since he hadn't been able to see Jay's.

But what he saw instead was not what he expected. Matt was kneeling on the ground next to Jeff, both with tears streaming down their faces as Phil and John approached them with broad smiles. Not far away, Jay and Adam released each other from a hug as Drew and Taryn joined them, the latter laughing when he was tightly hugged by the blonde woman.

Adam and Jeff had both survived.

Shane slammed the steering wheel as he cried out in anger. His plan had been perfect. Adam should have been crushed and Jeff burned, but yet, they both survived the traps he had set for them. It wasn't possible...

He watched the two smaller groups join together, his breath coming a bit more quickly as he rolled down the window before he opened his glove compartment and pulled out a small handgun.

* * *

"So, you escaped from the hole before it was completely filled?" John asked.

Adam nodded. "Yeah, I honestly don't know how I did it. Adrenaline, probably," he answered. "I didn't even know Shane was setting Matt up, so I'm sorry about that. But, while you guys all thought I was dead, Shane included, I was able to keep an eye on him without him knowing. I knew he was going to go after Jeff next, so I wanted to make sure I could step in to help if I could. I called Matt to tell him where he was, but I could tell that you guys wouldn't get there in time, so I went in myself. I should have called sooner."

"That was you?" Matt looked at Adam with surprise.

"Good thing he called," Jeff muttered, smiling slightly at his older brother. Matt returned it before ruffling his hair.

"Yeah, that was me," Adam told the older Hardy with a small smile of his own. "Sorry for blocking the number and what not, but I couldn't risk you knowing I was alive in case Shane overheard you."

"That's okay. I understand," Matt replied. "You had us all going. But because of you, Jeff's alive, and that means more to me than I can say." He then stuck his hand out to him. Adam looked at it for a short second before taking it, somewhat surprised when the older Hardy pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you," Matt muttered.

Adam returned the hug before he pulled away, and he smiled at the other man as he went back to stand next to Jay. "You're welcome."

Suddenly, the group jumped when a loud gunshot echoed in the night air around them. Adam watched with horror when Jay screamed with pain as he collapsed to the concrete, hands at his left side as blood blossomed on his shirt.

"_Jay_!" Adam knelt down next to him, wrapping his arm behind his back to support him, Jay's head resting on his shoulder, while Matt and Jeff dropped down in front of them with worry.

Then, a pair of headlights landed on them, and they all squinted in the sudden bright light to try to see before they heard the sound of squealing tires as a black car sped out of the parking lot.

* * *

Shane glanced in his rearview mirror, watching as John, Phil, and Drew ran after his car for a little bit but stopped when he pulled out onto the dark street. He tossed the handgun into the passenger seat next to him as he drove away from the arena, glad that he had made some sort of impact.

But it wasn't nearly enough. He hadn't had his full revenge. Shane's hands tightened around the steering wheel as his eyes shone with anticipation, the lights of the hotel coming into sight. He had noticed at the arena that there was one person missing from their group.

* * *

Maria paced her and Phil's hotel room with Lexie as she cried, nothing she tried to do to console her working. She sighed heavily, holding the girl close to her. "Shh, sweetheart, it's okay..."

"Da..." Lexie mumbled in between her tears.

"He'll be back soon, Lexie," Maria whispered, kissing her daughter's head. "I hope..."

"Da..."

Then, Maria gasped quietly when she heard a knock on the door. Sighing with relief, she quickly crossed the room and opened it. "Thank God you're back, Phil..."

But her sentence trailed off when she saw that it wasn't Phil, and she held Lexie close to her chest protectively as she backed away from the door. Shane McMahon followed her inside, a smirk appearing on his face when he saw the fear in her eyes as he shut the door behind him.

"Hello, Maria."

* * *

Adam watched as Phil, John, and Drew stopped running after the black car disappeared from sight with mounting anger, tempted to go after who he had no doubt was Shane McMahon himself. But his attention was returned to his best friend when Jay groaned in pain when Matt carefully lifted his shirt a little, seeing that the bullet had gone deep into his side.

"Hang in there, Jay," Adam muttered, able to tell that the other man was trying trying to keep the extent of pain he was in from them. He was going to wring Shane's neck.

Jay laughed hollowly, wincing when the older Hardy placed his hands on either side of the entrance wound to try to get a better look at it. "I'm okay," he told him quietly, his face growing a shade paler as he tensed in Adam's arms. It was painful enough without the other man touching it.

Adam shook his head and smiled slightly, feeling a thin line of tears form in his eyes. He wished it would have been him that had been hit instead of Jay. It hurt him to see the man he considered to be his brother trying to fight through the extreme pain he was obviously feeling as though it was no big deal. "Just hang in there, okay?"

The other man's next words were uttered with a more defeated tone, his uneven breath coming shakily. "I will..."

"Jeff, call for an ambulance," Matt told his brother anxiously as he looked over the gunshot wound. The younger Hardy nodded, getting to his feet and pulling out his cell phone before dialing the number.

Taryn knelt down where Jeff used to be, taking her light sweatshirt from around her waist. "Here, this will help slow down the bleeding," she muttered, bunching it up and putting it firmly on Jay's side.

Jay bit down on his bottom lip, his face draining of all color when he couldn't hold back another cry of pain. Adam tightened his arm around him comfortingly.

"I'm sorry, Jay," Taryn said quietly, squeezing his hand. Blood loss was her major concern. "But this will help..."

After a moment, Jay nodded, his breath quickening. "I know..." he replied, his voice hardly audible. "It's okay, Taryn..."

Adam's gaze saddened as he watched his best friend struggle, looking up only when Jeff came back over to them. "An ambulance is on the way," he announced, putting his phone back in his pocket as he crouched down next to his brother. "How ya' doing, Jay?"

Jay slowly turned to look at the younger Hardy, his gaze disoriented. "I'm okay..." he answered in a whisper.

Matt sighed, looking at his friend with concern before turning his attention to the other two. "Taryn, keep the pressure on the wound," he instructed. "Adam, keep talking to him. We need to keep him with us."

Taryn nodded as she pressed down on her sweatshirt, Jay hissing with pain, as Matt and Jeff got to their feet and stood nearby to watch for the ambulance. Adam tabbed Jay's shoulder to get his attention. "Hey, Jay, look at me," he said, smiling slightly when his best friend slowly turned back to look at him, his gaze dim. "Hang in there, Man. Help's on the way. Hold on, okay?" His voice cracked a little due to the tears that were threatening to fall.

Jay looked up at Adam for a long moment, a hint of a smile forming at the corner of his mouth. "... Okay..." Then, his eyes slowly closed.

Adam's heart nearly stopped as he looked down at him with fear. "Jay! Come on, Jay..." he shouted anxiously, shaking him gently to try to get him to respond. "Jay, don't you dare... After all that's happened... I can't die but you can? No, that's not going to happen! Jay, come on! Don't you _dare_ die on me!"

Taryn kept the pressure on Jay's side, feeling her own eyes beginning to water as she watched tears fall freely down Adam's face as he held the man he considered to be his brother. She reached forward and placed two fingers on Jay's neck, feeling light, uneven movement under her fingertips. "He's still hanging in there, Adam," she muttered, hoping that her words would be somewhat comforting to the Rated R Superstar.

But Adam hardly acknowledged her as he looked down at Jay, his face blurred by the fresh tears that were rushing to his eyes. "Damn it, Jay," he whispered. "Please... Hold on, Jay..."

* * *

Drew sighed as he kicked a loose piece of concrete out of anger. "Damn..." he muttered. "If only we noticed the car sooner..."

"Nothing we can do about it now," John added, turning back to look at Jay with concern. "It had to be Shane..."

"I have no doubt in my mind." Phil's hazel eyes were blazing, but he couldn't help but wonder where the younger McMahon was going in such a hurry.

The three men stood in silence for a moment before John sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm going to go check on Jay," he told them, starting to hurry over to where they were tending to their injured friend. Drew went with him, and Phil began to follow them but stopped when his cell phone started to ring. He pulled it out of his pocket, seeing that it was Maria. The Straightedge Superstar turned and walked in the opposite direction as he answered the call.

"What's up, Ria?" He opened the driver's door of his car and climbed in behind the wheel, thinking he may have to rush back to the hotel because of something with Lexie, but his eyes narrowed in concern when she didn't answer. "Ria?"

There was a long moment of silence before he heard quick, uneven breathing. _"... Phil..." _Maria finally muttered shakily, tears in her voice.

Phil was immediately on high alert as he tensed in the seat. "Ria, what's wrong?" he asked anxiously. "Are you okay?"

_"No... It's Shane. He's here. He-!"_ Maria's sentence was immediately cut off as she whimpered with pain.

"Ria! Ria!" Phil waited for a moment, wanting to hear her voice again. But the next voice he heard was not the one he wanted to hear.

_"Hello, Phil."_

"You bastard!" Phil shouted angrily, his hand tightening around the phone. "Stay away from my family!"

Shane laughed. _"A little late for that," _he said. _"But don't worry, they'll be well taken care of. It's all part of the plan. Maria's a bit... tied up at the moment, though. And your daughter... She's so cute. But does she always cry this much?"_

Phil cursed heatedly under his breath when he heard Lexie's familiar cry in the background. "Don't you _dare_ lay a hand on her!" he snapped. "Or I swear I will _kill_ you with my bare hands!"

_"I would like to see you try."_ Phil heard Maria scream his name, and then the line went dead.

Cursing again, Phil tossed his phone to the passenger seat and shut the door before putting on his seatbelt. He started his car, watching as the rest of his friends anxiously tried to help Jay before he backed out of the parking lot and sped off toward the hotel, hearing the approaching sirens of what he knew must have been an ambulance as the arena was soon out of sight.

He didn't think he had ever driven so fast in his life. After ignoring a few phone calls that must have been from some of the group wondering where he was, Phil pulled into the hotel parking lot, taking up two spots, before he hurried into the building and up the stairs. He ran down the hallway, coming to a stop in front of his room and ramming his shoulder into the door to force it open.

The first thing he saw was Maria, tied to the chair next to the desk with a gag in her mouth. Her eyes widened as she shook her head when he knelt down next to the chair and removed the gag from her tear-stained face.

"It's okay, Ria. I'll get you-!"

"No!" Maria said anxiously, cutting him off. "He has Lexie!"

Phil's eyes widened in horror, and he quickly looked over his shoulder when he heard the door to the bathroom open. He watched as Shane entered the main part of the room, a crying Lexie in his arms.

**Author's Note**: That's it for this one! Remember, there will be two more chapters instead of just one. Yes, Adam and Jeff both survived! But it's not looking good now. What'll happen next? Well, you'll have to keep reading to find out! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Since I left off with such an evil cliffhanger, I thought I'd update! This is the climax chapter, so there will be one more after this. Thanks for all your support, guys! This chapter is dedicated to **elliexhardy** since what happens toward the end actually came from a joke during the planning stages of this story, which I'm sure she'll remember when she reads it, lol. So, thank you to **vampiregirl2009**, **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, **Renna33**, **Vampirebaby13**, **myers1978**, **elliexhardy**, and **x0allisonqt0x** for your reviews. Enjoy the climax chapter! You never know what to expect...

_Chapter 10_

Matt sighed in frustration as he ended the call when he once again got the other man's voicemail. "Answer your damn phone, Phil," he muttered to himself, looking around the parking lot as he put his phone back in his pocket. "Where the hell did you go?" It wasn't the first time he had tried calling the Straightedge Superstar since they had watched him speed out of the parking lot, but the result was no different.

He watched as a team of firefighters worked to put out the flames covering the arena while John, Drew, and Taryn talked to a couple police officers. Sighing again, the older Hardy walked back over to the ambulance. Adam was sitting on the end, looking at the stretcher Jay was lying on sadly. His upper body was wrapped in bandages since the paramedics had removed the bullet, and there was an oxygen mask over his face to help him breathe. He listened to the slow, quiet beeps of the heart monitor that let him know his best friend was alive, grateful that he was hearing them at all.

Jeff stood leaning against the ambulance, looking at both Adam and Jay with concern. But he looked away when Matt joined them. "Still no luck?" Jeff asked, reading his brother's expression when he stopped next to him.

"No," Matt answered, shaking his head. "I don't get it. Why would Phil just leave without saying anything?" Jeff just shrugged, having no answer.

Matt sighed again as he turned his attention to Adam. "How's Jay doing?" he asked.

"Still no change which is the best we can hope for right now," Adam answered quietly, slowly turning to look at Matt with clear sorrow in his eyes. "Still no word from Phil I take it?"

"None," Matt told him. "I'm starting to get worried. You'd think he'd answer after a few times..."

"If he could." Jeff looked at Matt with worry. "You don't think Shane..."

"Why would he go after Phil?" Matt shook his head. "His targets were you and Adam to get back at us."

"But Jeff and I both survived," Adam pointed out. "He may be frustrated that his revenge plans for you and Jay didn't work out."

"Why Phil though?" Jeff asked him. "I mean, yeah, he's a good friend, but going after him wouldn't have the same impact as going after someone like me or you."

Matt carefully thought about Phil's disappearance and what the younger McMahon's possible next move could be, knowing that his brother was right. If he was trying to make an impact...

Suddenly, he gasped when it dawned on him. "It's not Phil he's after," he said in nearly a whisper.

Jeff looked at Matt with confusion as he pulled out his cell phone and quickly dialed another number, beginning to pace. "Please pick up, please pick up..." But when the call went straight to voicemail, he sighed and put the phone back in his pocket as he turned to face Adam and Jeff.

"Maria's not answering either," Matt told them quietly.

The younger Hardy's eyes widened with fear, remembering when he had coffee with Maria that someone had been watching him. "Shit, Shane saw me with her..."

"And I went to her after Shane set me up..." Matt added, concern on his face. "Shooting Jay was his final revenge for him... Going after Maria is meant for us."

Before anyone could say anything else, the head paramedic came to the back of the ambulance. "We're ready to transport Mr. Reso to the hospital," he told Adam. "Are you still going to ride with?"

"You can go with him, Adam," Jeff said with a small smile.

"But what about Maria?" Adam wondered, looking back at them.

"We'll take care of that," Matt told him with confidence. "You go with Jay. I'm sure he'll be glad you're there once he wakes up."

Adam nodded after a moment, giving them a grateful smile. "Thanks, guys," he muttered. "We'll join you at the hotel when we can."

"All right, Man." Matt watched as Adam helped the paramedic push the stretcher a little further into the ambulance before he sat down on the bench, looking back at the brothers as the doors shut behind them. He then turned and ran over to meet John, Drew, and Taryn with Jeff close behind.

"The police are going to track down Shane," Drew told them when they approached. "So we-!"

"We know exactly where he is, and we have to get there now," Matt anxiously interrupted. "He's gone after Maria. We have to get to the hotel."

Drew and John exchanged concerned looks while Taryn's eyes widened with fear. "Let's go." The Scotsman led the way over to his car, and he and Taryn got in front while Matt, Jeff, and John climbed in the back. They had to wait for a moment to let the ambulance out of the parking lot as it hurried to the hospital, and then Drew pulled out onto the dark street, speeding in the opposite direction toward the hotel.

* * *

Phil looked up at Shane with fear, Lexie crying in his hold. "With Maria being... occupied, I couldn't just leave her," the younger McMahon said, smiling down at the little girl.

"Shane... let her go," Phil muttered, slowly getting to his feet. "She didn't do anything."

Shrugging, Shane loosened his hold on Lexie as if he was dropping her. "Lexie!" Phil shouted with worry as he watched her start to fall while Maria screamed, but he sighed when Shane didn't let her get far and brought her back up to where he was holding her before. "Shane, I swear..."

At the sound of the familiar voice, Lexie looked up and reached toward Phil with her tiny, grasping fingers. "Da!"

"I'm right here, Lex," Phil tried to assure her. "I'm here."

"Da!"

Shane smirked. "Aww, how touching." He held Lexie closer to him. "Yeah, your dad is right there, sweetheart. But he can't do anything..."

"Please, stop it, Shane," Maria murmured from where she was still tied to the chair, her heart breaking at seeing the clear distress her daughter was in as she coughed a little because of how much she was crying. "Leave her alone."

"Why should I?" Shane suddenly snapped, startling Lexie and causing her to cry harder.

"Shane, give me the girl," Phil said, his tone firmer. He could see that the other man wasn't in his right mind, and he wanted to get his daughter away from him. "She has no part in this.

Through her tears, Lexie found Phil and reached out for him again. "Dada!"

Pain erupted inside Phil's chest when he heard Lexie say what he had been trying to get her to say for the first time. This wasn't how he wanted her to say it, not when she was afraid. "Damn it, Shane, give me my daughter!" he shouted, starting to walk toward the other man.

But he stopped when Shane pulled a small handgun out of his pocket, and Phil slowly raised his hands when it was aimed at him.

* * *

Adam sighed as he leaned forward and closed his eyes, trying to ignore how uncomfortable it was to ride in the back of the ambulance. Shane was going after Maria, and he had no doubt in his mind that's where Phil had rushed off to. He hoped that the others could reach her in time before Shane's revenge came to light, also concerned about her and Phil's young daughter. But he also knew that if Shane happened to somehow escape, he would take care of him himself for almost killing his best friend.

He heard a slight increase in the speed of the beeps coming from the heart monitor, but Adam wasn't concerned since the paramedic with him didn't seem to be. It was better than slowing down or worse...

"...Adam..."

Not expecting the quiet voice, Adam gasped as his eyes snapped open, and he was surprised to see that Jay's eyes were open and he was wearily looking up at him. Then, a smile slowly appeared on his face. "How are you doing, Jay?" he asked.

Jay slowly nodded, smiling slightly under the oxygen mask as his eyes closed. But then, they quickly opened again as he looked back at Adam. "Shane..."

"It's okay," Adam told him, placing his hand on his arm. "Shane's nowhere near here, and you're going to be okay. Just try to relax."

"Where... where is he?"

Adam sighed heavily, Jay's concern showing through. "We think he went back to the hotel," he explained. "But the others are going there too. It'll be fine."

The answer seemed to settle with Jay as he looked away again, but Adam could tell by his eyes that he was now much more alert. But he could also see in his gaze that he was in a lot of pain. He sighed, running his hand through his long blond hair, wishing there was something more he could do for his best friend.

"Thank you, Adam."

"For what?" Adam wondered, surprised by the sudden statement.

Jay looked back at him, a slight smile on his face. "Just for being here," he replied.

Adam returned the smile, patting his arm. "Of course, Jay. Anytime."

* * *

Drew quickly found a spot to park as soon as he pulled into the hotel lot, shutting the car off as everyone got out. They ran across the parking lot, noticing Phil's terrible parking job, and entered the lobby.

"You guys stay down here in case he tries to escape," Matt told John, Drew, and Taryn. "We're not letting him walk away from all of this. Come on, Jeff."

The younger Hardy nodded, quickly following his brother up the stairs to the second floor.

* * *

"Don't move!" Shane demanded angrily, making sure that the handgun was still trained on the other man.

"Okay, Shane, okay," Phil muttered, eyeing the weapon nervously. He bit his bottom lip when he heard Lexie's continuous sobs, cursing himself when he couldn't do anything to get to her. "Just put the gun down..."

"No!"

Lexie grabbed onto Shane's shirt collar and pulled, coughing a couple times as another sob escaped from her. Shane looked down at her, lowering the gun slightly. "What are you doing?"

Knowing that this could have been his only chance to get Lexie away from him, Phil rushed at the other man. But Shane looked up just in time, raising the gun and hitting him across the face with it.

"_Phil_!" Maria screamed, watching as her husband fell to the floor, dazed from the impact.

Shane looked down at him for a moment before turning his gun on Maria. "Shut up!" he shouted, causing Maria to whimper with fear as tears formed in her eyes. Keeping the weapon trained on her, he ran over to the window and pushed it open as he climbed out onto the fire escape with the eight-month-old girl.

"Dada!" Lexie cried.

Hearing his daughter crying out for him, Phil blinked repeatedly and shook his head a couple times to try to clear it as he slowly sat up. "Where'd he go?" he asked, his words slurring together slightly as his head throbbed painfully.

"Out the window," Maria answered anxiously, struggling in the ropes that tied her to the chair. "Phil, hurry!"

"Window..." Phil shook his head one more time before quickly getting to his feet and going out onto the fire escape. He looked up and down the ladder, trying to see where Shane went. Then, he ducked when the gun was fired, the bullet hitting the metal railing next to him. But the shot had come from above, and Phil quickly ran up the fire escape after the other man.

He found Shane standing on the fifth story landing at the end of the fire escape with gun in hand and Lexie crying in his other arm. Phil stopped when he saw that the weapon was once again aimed at him. "Please, Shane, enough is enough," he muttered. "Just give me my daughter. She's an innocent girl."

But Shane shook his head. "I've come too far now," he said quietly with a demented gleam in his eye that unnerved the Straightedge Superstar. "I'm not going to give her to you just because you say please."

Phil felt anger flare up inside of him, but he restrained it. "I shouldn't have to beg you for my own child," he told him, taking a few cautious steps toward him. "Just hand her over, and-!"

Shane suddenly fired the gun, and Phil cried out and stumbled back when the bullet skimmed his shoulder.

"Dada!" Lexie screamed through her sobs.

"I'm coming, Lex," Phil whispered to himself as he leaned on the railing, not caring what he had to do to get his daughter back. "I'm coming."

Shane laughed as he watched the other man. "I need to work on my aim," he said, raising the gun again. "I promise this time I won't miss."

* * *

Matt and Jeff quickly ran down the hallway, seeing that the door of Phil's room was already open. The brothers hurried inside, sighing with relief.

"Maria!"

At the sound of her name, Maria looked away from the window, watching as the Hardys stopped on either side of the chair she was still tied to. "Matt... Jeff..."

"Are you okay, Maria?" Matt asked, kneeling down next to her as he began to work on the ropes.

"Fine," Maria answered. "But Shane... he has Lexie. Phil went after him."

"Where are they?" Jeff wondered anxiously, dread and anger coursing through him. He had sworn to himself that Shane wouldn't touch the eight-month-old girl...

"Fire escape." Maria looked up at Jeff pleadingly, and the younger Hardy could read her expression clearly. She was terrified for her daughter's life.

Jeff sighed as he looked at his brother. "Stay with Maria," he told him before turning and climbing out the window.

Matt looked up just in time to see him disappear out onto the fire escape. "Jeff, wait!" he shouted, but he was too late. He turned back to Maria, working harder on trying to get her untied.

Once on the landing, Jeff looked up and down the ladder, trying to see where Shane and Phil had gone. He narrowed his eyes slightly when he saw movement from above him, trying to see better, but he jumped when he heard a gunshot echo in the night air around him. Fearing the worst, Jeff quickly ran up the ladder, hoping that he wasn't too late.

* * *

Shane smirked as he made sure that the gun was level with the Straightedge Superstar as he turned to face him. "Say goodbye, Phil," he muttered.

Phil looked back at Shane angrily, his fists clenching at his sides. "This won't accomplish anything," he told him just as quietly.

The younger McMahon shrugged. "We'll see about that."

Whimpering a little as her tears began to slow down, Lexie looked up at Shane when he laughed, her gaze landing on the graying strands of his slightly messy, hanging hair. "Ooh..." Her tiny fingers reached out and grabbed onto it before pulling.

"Ow!" Shane looked down at the eight-month-girl as she pulled on it again, Phil watching with confusion. "What are you doing, you little brat? Stop it!" He leaned back to try to get away from her grabbing hands, but he leaned too far when his back hit the low railing, making him lose his balance. He cried out with fear, dropping the gun as he began to fall over the railing.

"_Lexie_!" Phil ran forward, reaching down and grabbing his daughter as Shane fell, bringing her back up onto the fire escape with him and holding her close. "Oh, God... I've got you, Lex. Daddy's got you."

Cooing quietly, Lexie snuggled into Phil's chest, clinging to his shirt. He breathed a sigh of relief before he looked over the railing. Shane was lying on the hard sidewalk five stories below, his unseeing eyes staring directly at him. He was dead.

Still feeling a bit shaken, Phil backed away from the railing and sat down against the wall, closing his eyes. "What a night, huh, Lex?" he murmured, leaning his head back against the wall and holding the small girl close. "But at least I've got you..."

Lexie looked up at her father curiously, smiling as she reached up and pulled on his hanging black hair.

Phil cracked one eye open to look at her when Lexie giggled, laughing a little as he kissed her head. For once, he didn't mind her pulling his hair, and he would let the habit slide just one time.

"Da!"

"Wait a minute, you said dada before," Phil moaned, arching his eyebrow. "Come on, Lex, keep saying dada."

"Da!"

Phil sighed, narrowing his eyes at her suspiciously. "Lex..." But then, a small smile appeared on his face when the eight-month-old cooed and snuggled into his chest again. "All right, all right. I love you, too."

After a few more moments of just sitting against the wall in shock, Phil looked up when he heard footsteps, and he watched as Jeff came to the top of the fire escape. "Are you guys okay?" the younger Hardy asked anxiously.

"Yeah, Jeff, we're fine," Phil answered with a slight smile as Lexie looked up at him. "Don't worry."

Jeff sighed with relief. "Where's Shane?"

Phil nodded to the end of the fire escape, and the younger Hardy slowly walked over to the edge and looked down. He sighed when he saw Shane was lying dead on the sidewalk below before turning and sitting down next to Phil. "Did you push him?" he wondered, looking at the Straightedge Superstar curiously.

Surprisingly, Phil laughed a little. "I almost wish I did. I would have loved to get my hands on him," he muttered, shaking his head. "Lexie tried pulling on his hair, and he leaned back too far to try to get away from her and fell..."

Jeff stared at Phil with disbelief for a long moment, shocked that an eight-month-old girl was the one who had stopped Shane. Then, though he had no idea why, he started to laugh. Phil joined in a minute later, and neither man could stop. Lexie looked from her father to Jeff and back, giggling a little since they were.

"Glad you're okay, cutie," Jeff said when he finally stopped laughing, holding his finger out to the small girl.

Lexie looked at it for a moment before she smiled and took it. "Eff!"

Jeff blinked with surprise, looking up at Phil. "Was that my name?"

"I think so." Phil looked down at his smiling daughter. "Yeah, that's Jeff. Can you say Jeff?"

Lexie giggled. "Eff!"

Phil and Jeff looked at each other again, both starting to laugh out of what they now knew was relief. Shane was gone.

Then, they heard more footsteps, and Phil and Jeff watched as Maria and Matt appeared at the top of the fire escape with worry clear on their faces. Lexie also looked up, smiling when she saw the red-haired woman. "Ma!"

Maria returned the smile as a thin line of tears formed in her eyes, and she quickly ran over to her husband and daughter. "Oh, thank God you guys are okay..." She took Lexie and hugged her tightly as a couple tears rolled down her cheeks, wrapping an arm around Phil once he got to his feet and held him close.

Jeff stood up as well, smiling when Matt pulled him into a one-armed hug as they watched the family. It was finally over.

**Author's Note**: What can I say? I love irony, lol. Hence why Lexie, out of all people, stopped Shane. An alternate ending to this would have been **elliexhardy** randomly showing up and killing Shane herself, but since that really wouldn't have fit with the rest of the story, I went with this one, lol. I hope you guys liked it! There will be one more chapter after this, which will be the aftermath. Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Since the question has been raised, yes, Shane is officially dead, lol. But (I love this word) this is an important author's note since I'm thinking there will be one more story for this series. It's still in the works, but I do have some ideas. Might not be for a while yet, but keep an eye out for a trailer. If you guys want to follow me on Twitter, I usually post updates or news for stories there. Just let me know in your reviews. Thanks, guys! Also, much thanks to **Vampirebaby13**, **elliexhardy**, **x0allisonqt0x**, **vampiregirl2009**, **myers1978**, and **Renna33** for your reviews! I hope you guys will stick around for another! But, this is the last chapter of this one, so enjoy!

_Chapter 11_

_"From the dark into the light_

_We can leave it all behind_

_We can stand together_

_We don't have to look back now..."_

-"We Don't Have to Look Back Now," Puddle of Mudd

Adam sighed as he unlocked the door of his and Jay's hotel from the taxi ride back, rubbing his tired eyes as he walked inside. He had spent the rest of the night in the hospital with his best friend, and even though he had gotten no sleep, he was just relieved that he was alive. He wasn't sure if leaving the hospital so soon was the best idea, but Jay would have it no other way.

Jay followed him inside, moving a bit more gingerly since his side was still sore from the shot by Shane. He was talking into his cell phone, but the conversation he was having with the older Hardy was coming to an end. "Yeah, okay. Thanks, Matt. Bye." Jay ended the call and put his phone back in his pocket as he slowly made his way over to his bed. "Matt has the rental car now, and he's going to call when he gets here," he explained as he made sure his bags were all packed. "We're carpooling with him and Jeff."

"Okay, sounds good," Adam replied as he zipped up his own bag. Then, he sighed as he sat on his bed. "I still can't believe last night..."

Jay's expression saddened as he carefully sat down as well to face Adam. "I know. I didn't think I'd..." His sentence trailed off as he shook his head. "But Shane's dead, so it's over now."

Adam chuckled slightly despite himself. "Stopped by an eight-month-old girl, no less."

"Yeah. Phil had better watch out," Jay added in a joking way. He then glanced at his bags when a thought occurred to him. "Oh, I have something to give you."

"Oh?" Adam watched his best friend curiously as he opened a smaller pocket on the bag closest to him, grabbing what he wanted before holding it out for him to take. The Rated R Superstar's eyes lit up when he saw that it was the necklace with the guitar pendant Jay had given him when he returned to the WWE.

"You found it," Adam muttered, slowly reaching forward and taking it. "I was hoping someone would..."

Jay smiled slightly as he watched his best friend put the necklace on. "Of course," he told him. "I wasn't going to let that get lost. I thought that was all I had left of you."

Adam sighed heavily, looking at the other man sadly. "Jay, you know that if I could have told you I was alive, I would have," he said quietly. "But I couldn't..."

The other man nodded. "I know," he muttered. Then, he sighed too. "I'm so sorry, Adam."

"What for, Jay?" Adam asked. "There's nothing you need to be sorry for..."

Jay shook his head. "You almost died, Adam. It was to get back at me."

"So did you," Adam countered as he got up, sitting back down next to Jay on his bed. His eyes moved from where he knew the scar from the bullet was on his side to the faint bruises on his neck that still remained from when Matt had nearly strangled him, both lasting reminders of all that Shane had but them through. "Jay, I'm just fine, and you are too, thankfully. Shane's gone. As you said, it's over."

After a moment, Jay slowly nodded and looked at the man he considered to be his brother with a smile. "You're right, it's over," he told him, hugging him quickly.

Adam returned the smile when they parted, but before he could say anything, Jay's cell phone began to ring. It's Matt," he said when he saw the name flashing on the screen. "He's probably here to pick us up."

"Okay." Adam got up and grabbed his bags, turning back to look at his best friend. "Hey, Jay?"

"Yeah?" Jay asked, right about to answer the call.

Adam smirked. "I told you I wasn't going anywhere."

* * *

Matt pulled the rental car he had gotten to a stop in front of the main door of the hotel. He watched carefully as John and Taryn packed their luggage into the trunk of Drew's car since they were carpooling before reaching into his pocket, wanting to call Jay to tell him that he was there to pick him and Adam up.

But before he could dial the number, he saw Jeff leave the hotel and approach the car. Matt climbed out, joining him behind it as he unlocked the trunk for him.

"Thanks," the younger Hardy said, putting his bags inside.

"No problem," Matt replied with a slight smile. "We might as well wait here for Jay and Adam."

Jeff nodded in agreement as he leaned back against the car. "Sounds like a plan," he muttered. "How's Jay doing?"

"He told me a little better," Matt replied. "Still really sore, of course. The doctor wanted him to stay another night, but he... _politely_ declined."

"Sounds like Jay." Jeff laughed a little.

"Yeah, it does. And that's what we're relieved about."

Jeff nodded, glad to see his friend seemed to be his same old self. Then, he took a deep breath as he looked up at the blue sky above them. "What a night..."

"It was a rough one for all of us," Matt told him. He then reached into his pocket, pulling out the two pictures that Shane had left for him and Jay. He looked at the crossed out faces of Jeff and Adam for a moment before tossing them into the nearby garbage can. Along with them, a great weight seemed to be lifted off his chest.

"I really thought I was going to die in that arena, Man," Jeff finally voiced thoughtfully. "And then when Adam came into the locker room, I was sure I was a goner. Had no idea he was alive. But I remember one of the last thoughts on my mind was how I regretted that I wouldn't get the chance to tell you how sorry I was..."

Matt sighed, reaching over and pulling him into a tight hug. "We're brothers, Jeff," he told him. "We'll always have that going for us... Through anything. Anything. I know it was hard for you to get over what I did a year ago. But what's done is done, and what's important is that we're all okay. And that I have my little brother back."

Jeff felt a thin line of tears form in his eyes as Matt finished, taking a deep breath as he blinked them away and returned the hug. "Yes, Matt," he told him in nearly a whisper, his voice cracking a bit. "You have me back."

"Good." Matt smiled at Jeff when they parted, ruffling his hair. "Now, what you say we get Adam and Jay and get the hell outta' here, huh?"

The younger Hardy laughed a little. "I'd say that's a great idea."

* * *

Maria finished zipping up her bag, turning to face her husband and daughter. "All ready?" she asked with a slight smile.

"Yeah..." Phil answered quietly, putting the bag of ice back on his bruised, swelling cheek. "I think this should be okay and last most the way home."

"It should, especially since you'll be sitting in the back with Lexie," Maria told him, taking the keys from his hand.

Lexie grinned and looked up at Phil, pulling on his hair. "Da!" she exclaimed.

A small smile appeared on Maria's face. "Good thing she hasn't stopped that habit yet, huh?"

"You're telling me," Phil muttered, smiling himself when Lexie giggled. "But really, Ria, I think I'll be able to drive. It's just a cracked jaw."

Maria rolled her eyes. "And you're lucky that's all you got from how hard Shane hit you with that gun," she replied, grateful to have her husband with her at all. "Not to mention you're exhausted, and I got a little more sleep than you. So I'll drive us home, and you can sit in the back and spend some time with our daughter."

Phil sighed, knowing there was no arguing with his wife as she grabbed both their bags and left the room. He followed after her with a babbling Lexie, keeping the ice on his cheek. They left the hotel and crossed the parking lot to their car, Maria opening the trunk and putting their bags inside while Phil put the eight-month-old in her car seat. He walked around the back of the car, stopping by Maria as she gave him a gentle kiss, and climbed into the backseat next to Lexie.

"Let's go home," Maria muttered, getting behind the wheel before starting the car and driving out of the parking lot.

Lexie babbled and cooed, playing with Phil's finger as Maria drove onto the highway, but soon, the backseat fell silent. The redhead glanced in the rearview mirror, smiling to herself when she saw that her husband had fallen asleep, and she assumed that her daughter had done the same since they were both exhausted from the previous night. She looked back at the road ahead of her, rolling her window about halfway down before turning the radio up a little.

It was going to be good to get home.

_"You and I will ride tonight_

___'Till the past it out of sight_

___We don't have to look back now_

___From the dark into the light_

___We can leave it all behind_

___We can stand together_

___We don't have to look back now..."_

_**The End** _


	12. Trailer

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: All right, guys! As was the same with Sixty Seconds, there is one more update for this story. It's another "trailer" for the last story in this series, even though Shane is dead, called "Forty-Eight Hours." HUGE thanks to **Twisted_Skittle**, **purplelygoodnes**, **elliexhardy**, and **Expect-the-Unexpected75** for their help with ideas and putting this nifty little story together. And another HUGE thank you to all of you for reviewing! Glad you enjoyed this one! I'm super excited for this next one, as I hope you all are! It's going to be a wild ride. So, enjoy!

_A black screen_

**Matt** (_voiceover_): "I'll give you whatever you want..."

_Shows a sequence of shots in slow motion:_

_Matt standing at the edge of a freshly buried hole with a gym bag_

_Matt kneeling on the ground, eyes blazing as he strangles Jay Reso_

_Matt ending a call on his cell phone before walking back toward an ambulance_

_Shane McMahon lying dead on the sidewalk, his unseeing eyes staring blankly above him_

_Fades into a black screen_

**The nightmare was finally over...**

_Shows a shot of Maria Kanellis smiling as she watches Phil Brooks carefully help Lexie walk across the hotel room_

**Maria **(_voiceover_): "I can't believe she's going to turn three next month."

**Phil** (_voiceover_): "She's growing so fast."

_Shows a shot of Phil with Lexie in the gym while he talks to Matt and Jeff_

**Lexie**: "Jeff!"

_Shows a shot of Jeff hugging Lexie_

**Jeff**: "Hey there, cutie."

**... but reality can be much worse.**

_Shows a shot of Lexie reaching toward a shining silver weight as a shadow falls over her_

_Cuts to a shot of Phil running anxiously around the gym_

**Phil**: "Lexie!"

_Cuts to a shot of Phil holding a sobbing Maria_

**Maria**: "Who would take her, Phil?"

_Shows a shot of Adam Copeland running his hand through his hair while Jay sighs_

_Cuts to a shot of John Hennigan walking with Taryn Terrell and Drew Galloway, talking anxiously_

**Phil **(voiceover): "We're going to get her back, Ria..."

_Shows a shot of Lexie sitting on the floor in the center of a room, crying as three people enter_

**Phil **(_voiceover_): "... I promise."

_Shows a shot of Jeff crying out in frustration as he pounds on the wall_

_Cuts to a black screen_

**But with new faces...**

_Shows a shot of Matt, Jay, and Adam, holding a smiling Lexie, standing in the hotel lobby as Amy Dumas enters_

**Matt**: "Amy?"

**Amy**: "Thought I'd join the party!"

_Shows a shot of Amy standing with Adam_

**Amy**: "I miss you..."

_Shows a shot of Amy leaning closer to Adam to kiss him_

_Fades into a black screen_

**Matt** (_voiceover_): "This isn't over yet."

_Shows a quick sequence of shots:_

_Taryn gasping when someone places a hand on her shoulder from behind_

_Drew crying out when a fist collides with his jaw_

_A man holding a crying Lexie, his face hidden by shadow_

_Phil and Adam having a heated argument_

**Adam **(_voiceover_): "There's a lot more going on here!"

_Maria being comforted by Amy_

_Phil angrily knocking over a chair_

_Jay gasping for air as he surfaces in a pool_

_Adam kneeling next to Amy, lying unmoving on the floor in front of her hotel room_

_Matt struggling with a man in a hood_

_John lying on the ground, crying out as he's kicked forcefully in the side_

_A gun being placed to Adam's temple_

_Jeff staring in shock at another man_

**Jeff**: "You?"

_Cuts to a black screen_

_Fades into a shot of Phil sighing as he stares out the window at the city below_

**Phil **(_voiceover_): "I will do everything I have to do to get Lexie back."

**... who can be trusted?**

_Shows quick flashes of Phil, Maria, Matt, Jeff, Adam, Jay, John, Drew, Taryn, and Amy before cutting sharply to a black screen_

_**Forty-Eight Hours**_

**Maria **(_voiceover_): "How could you do this?"

_Coming soon!_


End file.
